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PERSONAL  NARRATIVE 


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OF  A 


JOURNEY  FROM 

INDIA    TO    ENGLAND, 

BY  BUSSORAH,  BAGDAD,  THE  RUINS  OF  BABYLON, 

CURDISTAN,  THE  COURT  OF  PERSIA, 

THE  WESTERN  SHORE  OF  THE  CASPIAN  SEA,  ASTRAKHAN, 

NISHNEY  NOVOGOROD,  MOSCOW,  AND  8T.  PBTERSBURGH ! 

IX  THE  YEAR  1824. 


BY 


CAPTAIN  THE  HON.  GEORGE  KEPPEL. 


t^mMst         df£ 


PHILADELPHIA : 
CAREY,  LEA  &  CAREY— CHESNUT  STREET. 

SOLD  IN  NEW  YORK,  BY  G.  &  0.  CARVILL, — IN  BOSTON,  BY  HILLIARD„ 
GRAY,  &  CO.,  AND  RICHARDSON  &  LORD, 

1827. 


^Q> 


GRIGGS  U  DICKINSON,  Printer*. 
Whitehall. 


TO 

THE   EARL   OF  ALBEMARLE, 


In  sending  forth  this,  my  first  Work,  to  the  Pub- 
lic, I  am  naturally  anxious  to  obtain  for  it  a  protector. 
To  whom,  then,  can  I  better  apply  than  to  you,  my  dear 
Father,  for  whose  entertainment  I  was  first  induced  to 
keep  a  Diary  of  my  Travels  ? 

Your  affectionate  Son, 

GEORGE  KEPPEL. 
Dublin  Castle. 


00  Co 


ILLUSTRATIONS. 


Page. 

No.  1.  Ruins  of  a  Pillar  on  the  Easter  Bank  of  the 

Tigris 76 

2.  Fragment  of  a  Statue         -         -         -         -     79 

3.  Babylonian  Cylinders         -         -         -         -  110 

4.  Statue   of  a   Lion   found   in   the   Ruins  of 
Babylon 123 

5.  Specimen  of  the  Ruins  at  Kisra  Shereen      -  176 


CONTENTS 


CHAPTER  I. 


My  fellow-travellers — Futteh  Ali  Khan — Departure  from  Bom- 
bay— Persian  Syyud — His  Compliment  to  the  English,  and 
opinion  of  our  Devotion — Luminous  Surface  of  the  Sea — Din- 
ner with  the  Prince — Persian  Politeness — Arrival  at  Muscat — 
Barren  Appearance  of  the  Cove — Fortifications — Shipping — 
Ignorance  of  the  Imaum  and  of  his  Ojteers  in  Navigation — An- 
ecdote— The  Imaum  and  Futteh  Ali  Khan — Our  introduction 
to  the  Imaum — His  character — Wahhabbee  Pirate — Town  of 
Muscat — Bazaar — Inhabitants — Method  of  extracting  Toll — 
Imaum's  stud — Slave  Auction.  Page  13 — 24 

CHAPTER  II. 

Suburbs  of  Muscat — Drunken  Persian*— -Fish-fed  Horses — Sterile 
appearance  of  the  country — Village  of  Poorshur — Giaffer's  con- 
duct— Set  sail  for  Bussorah — Cape  Jask — The  Quoins — Cape 
Musendom — Islands  of  the  Tombs — Pulior — Cape  Nabon — 
Cape  Verdistan — Bushire — Karrack — Arab  Pilot — Sick  Native 
— Cape  Baungk — Pilot's  mode  of  navigating  the  ship — Runs 
her  ashore — His  apology— Appearance  of  the  Coast — Behaviour 
of  an  Arab  Sheikh.  Page  25 — 35 

CHAPTER  III. 

The  Sheikh's  modest  demeanour — His  Residence — Repast — Spi- 
rited Reply  of  the  Sheikh's  Son — Captain  Taylor — Land  at 
Bussorah — New  Governor — Ex-Governor — The  New  Govern- 
or's Public  Entrance  into  Bussorah — First  ait  of  his  Govern- 
ment— His  Visits  to  the  Political  Agent — His  Visit  returned — 
Wearing  Shoes  in  the  Chamber  of  an  Asiatic — Horse-racing  in 
the  Desert — The  Governor's  attempt  at  Oppression — An  Ar- 
menian's Betrothment — Pas  de  deux  between  a  Jew  and  a 
Turk.  Page  36—46 


Vlll  CONTENTS. 

CHAPTER  IV. 

Ancient  Ruins — Tombs  of  Ali,  the  Barmecide,  and  of  Zobeir,  an 
Arab  Chief — Town  of  Zobeir — Sheikh  of  Dirhemmia — City  of 
Bussorah — Filth  of  the  Streets — Old  and  New  Bazaars — Cof- 
fee-houses— Trade — Population — Productions — Preparations  for 
departure — Guard  of  Arabs — Aboo  Nasir — Entertainment  on 
board  the  Alligator.  Page  47—53 

CHAPTER  V. 

We  take  leave  of  our  Shipmates — And  proceed  on  our  Voyage — 
Our  Boatmen  and  Guard— -Abstinence  from  Wine — Koorna — 
The  River  Tigris— II  Jezeerah,  the  reputed  site  of  Paradise — 
Appearance  of  the  Country — Our  first  interview  with  the  Desert 
Arabs — Arab  Village — Conduct  of  our  Guard — Goomru — Tri- 
bute— Extortion — Tomb  of  the  Prophet  Ezra — Abundance  of 
Game — Kill  a  brace™!  Partridges  in  the  Garden  of  Eden — 
Curious  Scene — Behaviour  and  Appearance  of  the  Female 
Arabs  of  the  Desert.  Page  54 — 62 

CHAPTER  VI. 

Aboo  Nasir — Village  Jester — Akushee — English  Gentlemen  at- 
tacked by  the  Arabs — Munjummil — Thuyn  II  Swyah — Mohu- 
mud  Abool  Hassan — We  are  challenged  from  the  shore  by  the 
Arabs — Our  Boatmen's  answer — Manner  in  which  the  Arabs 
lie  in  ambush  for  Travellers — Cheshef — Illyauts — Black  Tents 
illustrated  by  Scripture — Mr.  Hamilton  and  I  shoot  at  a 
Lioness — Curious  flight  of  birds — Barter — Gubur  Jumdeer — 
Ali  Shurgee — Animals  like  Bats — Filifileh  and  Sooroot,  an  an- 
cient ruin — Encampment  of  Arab  Banditti — Aboo  Nasir's  an- 
swer to  their  inquiries — Muddukil-Hujauje — Koote — Horses 
procurable  from  hence  to  Bagdad — Description  of  the  village — 
Jubul  Afeez,  a  ruin — Arab  Greyhounds — A  Dandy  of  the 
Desert — Mr.  Hamilton  proceeds  by  land  to  Bagdad — Boats 
laden  with  firewood  for  Bagdad — Ummuttumim,  a  large  Canal — 
Grotesque  description  of  Boat*— Shifeleh — Extensive  Ruins — 
Observations  on  the  general  appearance  of  Ruins  in  this  coun- 
try— The  ruins  of  Mumliheh — Coins — Want  of  instruments 
for  digging.  Page  63 — 74 

CHAPTER  VII. 

Tortuous  course  of  the  River — Extensive  Ruins — Fire  Temple — 
Devil's  dance — Dawurree,  a  tribe  of  thieves  and  buffoons — 


CONTENTS.  IX 

Ruins  of  Seleucia — Camel-riding— Illustration  of  the  Prophecy 
of  Isaiah — Ancient  Statue — Tradition — Powder  Mill — Ctesi- 
phon — Description  of  the  Tauk  or  Arch  of  Kisra — Suleiman 
Pauk — Historical  notices  of  Seleucia  and  Ctesiphon — Arrival 
at  Bagdad — Public  Entrance — Mr.  Hamilton's  Journey  across 
the  Desert — Anecdote  of  the  Chief  of  the  Artillery. 

Page  75—88 
CHAPTER  VIII. 

The  Pasha's  Garden — Armenian  Church — Our  Host's  Policy — 
Monastery  of  Calendars — Tomb  of  Zobeide — -Visit  to  the  Cath- 
olic Bishop  of  Bagdad — Anecdote — Journey  to  Babylon — Our 
Establishment — Description  of  a  Caravanserai — Our  first  Night's 
Lodging.  Page  89—99 

CHAPTER  IX. 

Bir-iunus — Caravans  of  Persian  Pilgrims — Mode  of  Travelling — 
Women — Corpses — Coffins — Iskanderia — Earthenware  Coffins 
— Mohowel — An  old  Man  and  his  Wives — Distant  appearance 
of  the  Ruins  of  Babylon — Reasons  for  supposing  the  Ruins  to 
be  those  of  Babylon — Causes  of  Deterioration — Mujillebe 
Mound — Illustration  of  the  Prophecy  of  Isaiah — Hilleh — Po- 
pulation— Musjid  Eshams — Babylonian  Inscriptions — Bricks — 
Cylinders — Throwing  the  Jereed — Sham  fight — Tower  of  Babel 
— Babylonian  Boats — Earthenware  Tombs — Statue  of  a  Lion — 
Hanging  Gardens— Palace.  Page  100—124 

CHAPTER  X. 
Triumph  of  Travelling  over  Prejudice — Grotesque  Dance — Fire 
Temple — Presentation  to  the  Pasha  of  Bagdad — Feast  of  St. 
Gregory — Visit  from  the  Officers  of  the  Pashalick — Instance  of 
the  Pasha's  despotic  Power — We  return  the  Visit  of  the  Offi- 
cers— The  Pasha's  Garden — Musruf  Effendy  and  his  Screw- 
pump — First  impressions  on  visiting  Bagdad — Description  of  the 
Streets  and  Bazaars — Interior  of  a  House — Dress  of  the  Wo- 
men— Liberty  enjoyed  by  Turkish  Females.        Page  125 — 141 

CHAPTER  XI. 

Buildings  in  the  time  of  Haroun  Alraschid — A  House— Mosque — 
Disregard  of  the  Turks  for  Antiquities — Preparations  for  de- 
parture— Advice  to  Travellers — Roguery  of  the  British  Agent 
—Mr.  Wolff,  a  Missionary — Extortion  of  the  Servants  of  Aga 
Saikeis — We  leave  Bagdad — Gold-stick  bearer — Benee-Sad — 
Ruined  state  of  the  Town — Aboo  Nasir  throwing  the  Jereed — 
Bacoubah — Devastation  of  the  Army  of  Mohumud  AH  Meerza 
— Alarm  of  Robbers — Aboo  Nasir's  Request— The  Silver-stick 
Bearer  and  Aboo  Nasir  take  leave.  Page  142— 1*3 

B 


X  CONTENTS. 

CHAPTER  XII. 

Ruins  of  Artemita — Historical  Notice  of  Shehreban — Ruins  of 
Apollonia — Crossing  the  Diala — Ancient  Tradition—The  Ha- 
merine  or  Carduchian  Mountains.  Page  154 — 163 

CHAPTER  XIII. 
Ruin  at  Baradan — Gaur,  the  City  of  Magicians — Khanaki — Our 
Janizary — Calor,    a   Tribe   of   Banditti — Annoyances    of   the 
Journey — The  Shurgee  or  Siroc  Wind — Ruins  of  Kisra  She- 
reen — We  are  visited  by  Robbers — Dangerous  Adventure. 

Page  164—178 
CHAPTER  XIV. 

March  by  Moonlight — Our  Chief  Muleteer — Pool  Zohaub — Stu- 
pendous Scenery — Curious  Custom  of  Illyaut  Women — Ancient 
Sculpture — Ascent  of  the  Zagri  Pilae — Magnificent  Scenery— 
Pa-ee  Takht — Suridage — Vexatious  delay  of  the  Muleteer — 
Town  of  Kurund — Visit  from  the  Governor.        Page  179 — 190 

CHAPTER  XV. 
An  Illyaut  Breakfast — Beautiful  Female — One  of  the  King's 
Wives — Town  of  Harounabad — Beauty  of  the  Women — Ma- 
hidesht — Escorted  into  Kermanshah — Description  of  the  Town 
— An  Order  of  Knighthood — Character  of  Mohumud  Ali  Meer- 
za,  the  late  Prince  of  Kermanshah. — Anecdote  of  His  High- 
ness and  Gaspar  Khan — Visit  from  the  Prince  of  Kerman- 
shah. Page  191—204 
CHAPTER  XVI. 

Three  Arab  Visiters — A  Chieftain — An  Astrologer — A  Moolah — 
Ancient  Sculptures  at  Tauk  Bostaun — Chosroes,  Shereen,  and 
Furhaud — Persian  Dance — Equestrian  Evolutions — Turcoman 
breed  of  Horses — Persian  mode  of  clearing  the  way  for  a  great 
Man — Funeral  Procession  of  Mohumud  Ali  Meerza — The 
Moolahi  Bashee — Suleiman  Khan  Kuruzungeer,  and  the  Sect 
of  Illahi.  Page  205—221 

CHAPTER  XVII. 

Misunderstanding  between  Messrs.  Court  and  De  Veaux — Con- 
duct of  Senor  Oms — Reconciliation  between  our  Hosts — 
Moolah  Ali's  opinion  of  Duelling — Second  interview  with  the 
Prince — Departure  from  Kermanshah — Unsuccessful  Expedi- 
tion into  the  Mountains — Pic-nic  Breakfast — We  take  leave  of 
Messrs.  Court  and  De  Veaux — Be-sitoon — Bas-reliefs — Sahanah 
— Concobar — Visit  the  Governor — Temple  of  Diana. 

Page  222—236 


CONTENTS.  XI 

CHAPTER  XVIIL 

Sadawar — Our  Host  and  his  two  Wires — Hamadan — A  Chupper, 
or  Courier — Hajee  Abbas,  the  Prince's  Mehmaundaur — Dis- 
pensation from  the  Fast — Ancient  Inscription — Elwund — 
Morning  Visiters — The  Prince's  Physician — His  Eulogium  on 
Sir  John  Malcolm — The  Rabbi  of  the  Jews — Chief  of  the  Ar- 
menians— A  Persian  in  pursuit  of  the  Philosopher's  Stone — 
High  respect  for  the  English  Character.  Page  237 — 249 

CHAPTER  XIX. 

Daparture  for  Teheraun — The  Prince's  arrival  prevented  by  the 
Astrologers — The  March  of  Alexander — Our  Persian  Costume — 
Advice  to  Travellers — Beebee  Rubaut — Fatiguing  March  to 
Kujur  Minar — Plain  of  Rubaut — Rubaut  Kereem — Bukhtiari 
Banditti — Arrival  at  Teheraun — Persian  Bath — Dyeing  beards — 
Nigauristoon— -Persian  Flowers — Rhages — Visit  Meerza  Aboo- 
Hassan  Khan — Kissera  Kajar — Levee  of  the  Ameen  ed  Dow- 
lah — The  Palace — Court  Dress — The  Prince  Governor  of  Tehe- 
raun—Presentation  to  the  King — Bastinado.        Page  250 — 265 

CHAPTER  XX. 

Summer  Palace  of  Ali  Khan  Meerza — Gypsies — Soolimanea,  Sou- 
gherabad,  and  Sufur  Khojah — Casbin — Serah  Dhan — Aubhaur — 
Saingula — Curious  Animals — Ruins  of  Sultanieh — Tomb  of 
Sultan  Khodabundah — King's  Summer  Palace — Zingaun — ■ 
Town,  Bazaar,  Mosque — Armaghanah — Auk-kend — Kaufilan 
Koh — Mountain  of  Tigers — Kizil  Oozan — Bridge — Rude  Sce- 
nery— Murder  of  Mr.  Brown — Superstitions — Kurz  Kula — 
Causeway — Oppression  of  Drowsiness — Arrive  at  Masana — Cu- 
rious Exhibition — Description  of  Maeana — Extraordinary  Bug 
and  Earth  Louse — Turcoman  Sha-ee — Tikhmadash — Wasmitdi 
— Arrival  at  Tabriz — Departure  of  Messrs.  Lamb  and  Hart — - 
Introduction  to  the  Prince  Royal.  Page  266 — 277 

CHAPTER  XXI. 

Dinner  with  Colonel  Mazerowitch — Projected  Route — Arrange- 
ments for  the  Journey — Departure  from  Tabriz — Appearance 
of  the  Country — Shehruk — Golijah — Aher — New  Mehmaundaur 
— Hoja  Kishlaukh— -Arabshehr — Beautiful  Scenery — Yokhari 
Perasewaun — Gulakundee — Wheat  Harvest — Venomous  Ser- 
pent— Illustration  of  Plutarch — Cross  the  Araxes — Illyaut 
Encampment — Arrival  in  Russian  Territory — Meralian — Kara- 
baugh,  the  country  of  the  Sacaseni — Peerhumud — Luxuriant 
Foliage — Cossacks  Haymaking — Khanakhi — Armenian  Villages 
—Arrival  at  Sheesha — Appearance  of  the  Town — Russian  Offi- 
cers' Quarters-— Aga  Beg.  Chief  of  the  Armenians,   and  his 


XII  CONTEXTS. 

Brothers — Two  Missionaries — Visit  to  the  Commandant — Tomb 
of  Nartuck — Sheesha,  its  Population,  Trade,  Climate,  and 
Costume — Prescribe  for  my  Host's  Brother — My  fame  as  a 
Physician.  Page  278—290 

CHAPTER  XXII. 

Cossack  Posts,  Horses,  Cheer — Mode  of  making  Tea — Ruins,  of 
Berda — Abundance  of  Game — Lug — River  Kur,  the  Ancient 
Cyrus — Koordameer — The  Na-ib — Shumakhi — Interview  with 
the  Commandant — Town  of  Bakoo — Bazaar — Productions — -Po- 
pulation— Military  Force — Fire-Temple  of  Indian  Pilgrims — A 
Brahmin — A  Viragee — A  Naphtha  Well — My  Servant  knocked 
up — Cossack  Officer — His  Quarters — Breakfast — Town  of  Ku- 
ba — Kula  noo — Fall  asleep  on  Horseback — Flooded  state  of  the 
river  Samur — Lesguy  Tartars — Russian  Notion  of  English 
Radicalism — Major  of  Cossacks — City  of  Durbund — Ancient 
Walls — Population — Extensive  Barracks — Russian  Salutation — 
Dinner — My  new  Servant — His  Appearance  and  Dress — His 
easy  Manners — Polite  Attention  of  my  Host — Departure  from 
Durbund — Nervous  Irritability — Vexatious  Delays — My  Ser- 
vant a  Catcher  of  Tartars — His  desisting  from  Sleep. 

Page  291— 31  a 
CHAPTER  XXIII. 

District  of  Shamkhaul — The  Shamkhaul — Tarkee-— A  little  Ama- 
zon— River  Koi  Soui— Extraordinary  Flight  of  Locusts — Nogai 
Tartars — Quarantine-house — Arrive  at  Kizliarj  am  the  guest  of 
a  friend  of  my  Servant's — The  Town,  Population,  and  Produce 
—My  new  Servant,  a  Jew  boy — Anecdote — Departure  from 
Kizliar — My  new  Equipage — Post-horses,  Cossack  and  Kalmuck 
Drivers — Locusts  in  the  Desert — Quarantine — Arrival  at  As- 
trakhan— Scotch  Missionary-house — Alexander  Cassim  Beg — ■ 
Obstacles  to  the  Missionaries — Their  Privileges — City  of  As- 
trakhan— Population — Variety  of  Costume — Prisoner  begging 
Russian  Charity — Trade — Salt — Productions— Indecent  Cus- 
tom— Sturgeon  Fishery.  Page  314 — 327 
CHAPTER  XXIV. 

Departure  from  Astrakhan — Mode  of  dispersing  Locusts — Colony 
of  Sarepta — Modern  Hippophagi — German  Colonies — Russian 
travelling — Saratoff— Penza — Nishney  Novogorod — Effect  of 
an  Uniform — A  Cossack  Sentry — Rascolnicks — Horsemanship 
Theatre— Russian  Dance.  Page  328—338 

CHAPTER  XXV. 

Arrival  at  Moscow — Messrs.  Hart  and  Lamb — Governor  Gene- 
ral— Military  Honours — Gallitsin  Hospital — Burning  of  Mos- 
cow—The Kremlin— The  Diligence — State  Prisoner — Arrival  in 
England.  Page  339— 344 


NARRATIVE, 

&c.  &c. 


CHAPTER  I, 


My  fellow-travellers — Futteh  AH  Khan — Departure  from  Bom- 
bay— Persian  Syyud — His  Compliment  to  the  English,  and 
opinion  of  our  Devotion — Luminous  Surface  of  the  Sea — Din- 
ner with  the  Prince — Persian  Politeness — Arrival  at  Muscat — 
Barren  Appearance  of  the  Cove — Fortifications — Shipping — 
Ignorance  of  the  Imaum  and  of  his  Officers  in  Navigation — An- 
ecdote— The  Imaum  and  Futteh  Ali  Khan — Our  introduction 
to  the  Imaum — His  character — Wahhabbee  Pirate — Town  of 
Muscat — Bazaar — Inhabitants — Method  of  extracting  Toll — 
Imaum's  stud — Slave  Auction. 

In  the  month  of  January,  1824,  Mr.  Ker  Baillie  Ha- 
milton, Mr.  Lamb,  Captain  Hart,  and  myself,  met  from 
different  parts  of  India,  at  the  Presidency  of  Bombay. 
We  were  all  resolved  upon  an  overland  journey  to  Eng- 
land, but  differed  as  to  the  precise  route.  By  making  a 
few  mutual  concessions  on  this  point,  we  agreed  to  travel 
together.*  We  were  assisted  in  this  arrangement  by 
Captain  Alexander,  who  kindly  granted  us  a  passage  to 

*  The  Author  begs  to  return  his  best  acknowledgments  to  Mr. 
Lamb  for  the  use  of  his  notes,  and  to  Captain  Hart  for  the  draw- 
ings which  accompany  this  Work. 

2 


14  1U  LTEH  ALI  KHAN. 

Bussorah  in  his  Majesty's  ship  Alligator,  of  which  he 
had  the  command. 

January  26. — The  night  before  we  sailed,  the  officers 
of  the  frigate,  and  our  travelling  party,  were  invited  to 
dine  with  His  Highness  Futteh  Ali  Khan,  who,  as  well 
as  ourselves,  embarked  on  board  the  Alligator  the  follow- 
ing morning. 

Futteh  Ali  Khan  is  a  eunuch  in  the  seraglio  of  his 
brother-in-law,  Abbas  Meerza,  the  Prince  Royal  of  Per- 
sia, who  married  his  sister.  He  is  the  son  of  the  brave 
but  unfortunate  Lootf  Ali  Khan,  the  last  Persian  king  of 
the  Zund  dynasty,  who  was  murdered  by  Aga  Mohum- 
raud,  in  1794. 

Looft  Ali  has  been  aptly  compared  to  Richard  Coeur- 
de-lion  of  England,  and  Charles  XII.  of  Sweden,  and  he 
is  still  the  subject  of  song  and  poetry  in  Persia.  The 
usurper  destroyed  nearly  all  the  members  of  the  deposed 
family;  the  remainder,  he  dispersed  over  Mazanderaun. 
At  the  period  of  his  father's  overthrow,  our  royal  ship- 
mate was  seven  years  old ;  his  life  was  spared  probably 
on  account  of  his  tender  age ;  but  the  condition  to  which 
he  was  reduced  by  the  barbarous  policy  of  the  conquer- 
or, made  the  boon  of  little  value. 

The  year  previous  to  our  meeting  at  Bombay,  I  had 
seen  His  Highness  at  Calcutta,  where,  in  my  capacity  of 
aide-de-camp  to  the  Marquis  of  Hastings,  the  then  Go- 
vernor General  of  India,  I  had  frequent  opportunities  of 
conversing  with  him.  He  had  at  that  time  just  arrived 
from  the  court  of  the  Prince  Royal  of  Persia  on  a  visit 
to  India ;  and  our  Government,  with  its  usual  liberality, 
had  allowed  him  a  hundred  rupees  a-day,  and  a  splendid 
establishment ;  attractions  which  proved  so  great  to  His 
Highness,  that  there  is  no  knowing  to  what  period  he 
might  have  prolonged  his  stay,  had  not  ill  health  accele- 
rated his  departure. 


DEPARTURE  FROM  ROM  BAY.  15 

His  Highness  is  tall  and  emaciated ;  his  eyes  are  large 
and  black,  and  his  complexion  is  sallow.  Though  not 
more  than  thirty-eight  years  old,  he  appears  double  ttiat 
age,  and  his  voice  and  features  so  resemble  those  of  a  fe- 
male, that  when  wrapped  up  in  shawls,  he  might  be  ea- 
sily mistaken  for  an  old  woman. 

January  27. — We  went  on  board  the  Alligator  at  ten 
o'clock  this  morning.  Shortly  after  us,  Futteh  Ali  Khan 
embarked,  under  a  salute  from  the  batteries.  As  His 
Highness  was  in  a  delicate  state  of  health,  he  was  hoist- 
ed, or  in  sea- phrase,  **  whipped  on  board."  The 
sailors,  whose  notions  of  princely  appearance  were  pro- 
bably formed  by  the  pictures  of  our  own  royal  family, 
seemed  much  surprised  at  the  feminine  look  of  the  un- 
fortunate Persian.  Many  a  joke,  incapable  of  repeti- 
tion, did  I  hear  made  on  this  wreck  of  a  fallen  dynasty. 

We  got  under  weigh  the  moment  the  Prince  was  em- 
barked. The  weather  was  fine  and  the  wind  favourable. 
Those  of  our  friends  who  had  come  to  take  leave,  were 
soon  obliged  to  retreat  to  their  boats,  as  we  were  rapidly 
getting  out  to  sea. 

Before  sun-set  the  town  of  Bombay  had  disappeared 
from  view,  and  the  high  ghauts,  (mountains)  which  mark 
this  coast,  were  all  we  could  discern  of  Indian  land. 

The  principal  person  of  the  Prince's  establishment, 
was  a  Persian  Syyud,  a  man  of  some  information,  and 
not  deficient  in  humour.  As  I  could  speak  Persian  with 
tolerable  fluency,  I  used  frequently  to  amuse  myself  by 
asking  his  opinion  respecting  the  improvement  of  our 
nation  in  different  branches  of  science.  Amongst  other 
subjects,  I  tried  to  explain  to  him  the  properties  of  a 
steam-boat  lately  established  in  Calcutta,  which,  from  its 
power  of  stemming  wind,  tide,  and  current,  had  been 
called  by  the  Indians  "  Sheitaun  koo  noo,"  the  De- 
vil? r  Boat, 


16  A    PERSIAN    SYYUD. 

Wishing  to  pay  a  compliment  to  our  nation,  the  Syyud 
replied,  "  When  arts  were  in  their  infancy,  it  was  na- 
tural to  give  the  Devil  credit  for  any  new  invention ;  but 
now,  so  advanced  are  the  English  in  every  kind  of  im- 
provement, that  they  are  more  than  a  match  for  the  De- 
vil himself." 

Mahometans  are  at  all  times  ready  to  acknowledge  our 
superiority  in  every  thing  connected  with  manufactures 
and  arts.  This  concession,  indeed,  could  not  well  be 
withheld,  as  most  articles  of  a  finer  quality  are  imported 
from  Europe  into  the  East,  and  the  greater  portion  of 
them  from  England.  Nevertheless  it  is  surprising  that  a 
people  so  bigoted  to  their  own  superiority  in  most  re- 
spects, have  allowed  us  a  pre-eminence  even  in  this. 
They  reconcile  it,  however,  to  their  vanity,  by  obser- 
ving that  we,  as  infidels,  have  our  enjoyments  in  this 
life,  while  theirs,  as  true  believers,  will  be  in  a  world  to 
come.  In  short,  that  we  are  as  superior  to  them,  as 
"  the  children  of  this  world  are,  in  their  generation, 
wiser  than  the  children  of  light." 

January  29. — This  morning,  (Sunday,)  divine  service 
was  performed.  As  soon  as  it  was  over,  I  went  up  to 
the  Syyud,  who  had  been  watching  our  motions,  and,  to 
observe  his  reply,  asked  him  why  he  had  not  said  his 
prayers  this  morning?  His  answer  was  very  laconic, 
ffuftee  mun,  Booze  Shuma.     "  Daily  I,  weekly  you." 

The  Mahometans  believe,  not  with  the  Syyud,  that 
we  pray  once  a  week,  but  that  we  never  pray  at  all ; 
and,  to  say  the  truth,  the  general  conduct  of  our  coun- 
trymen in  the  East,  rather  favours  the  supposition. 

February  1. — The  sea  was  covered  this  morning  with 
a  vast  quantity  of  luminous  blubber,  the  molusca  of  the 
medusa  species.  It  is  sometimes  of  a  scarlet  colour; 
that  which  we  saw  was  blue,  and  resembled  the  flower  of 
the  convolvulus.     At  night  it  gave  the  sea  the  appear- 


PERSIAN  POLITENESS,  17 

ance  of  waves  of  liquid  fire.     This  is  a  constant  indica- 
tion of  an  approach  to  the  Persian  shore. 

Captain  Alexander  being  confined  to  his  bed  by  a  se- 
vere fall  from  a  horse  while  at  Bombay,  deputed  me  to 
do  the  honours  of  the  table.  The  Prince  would  some- 
times favour  us  with  his  company,  though,  except  for 
the  honour,  we  could  willingly  have  dispensed  with  his 
visits.  On  some  of  these  occasions,  he  would  describe, 
with  true  Persian  minuteness,  those  particulars  of  health 
which  we  generally  reserve  for  our  physician.  At  other 
times  he  would  sop  his  long  skeleton  fingers  in  all  the 
dishes  most  suitable  to  his  palate,  thrust  them  into  his 
mouth,  and  then,  while  wet  with  saliva,  into  the  plate 
of  some  wondering  midshipman  beside  him.  His  High- 
ness had  one  more  habit  which,  though  contrary  to  our 
opinions  of  good  breeding,  is  reckoned  in  Persia  the 
greatest  proof  of  politeness,  as  it  intimates  a  compliment 
to  the  host's  good  cheer.  I  mean  eructation.  In  this 
sort  of  ventriloquism.  His  Highness  was  so  well-bred, 
as  to  give  us  daily  specimens  of  his  powers  to  the  disgust 
of  our  naval  friends,  who,  not  aware  such  a  custom  was 
fashionable  in  Persia,  thought  it  "  more  honoured  in  the 
breach,  than  in  the  observance/' 

February  2. — At  two,  p.  m.,  we  saw  the  high  land 
near  Muscat,  distinguished  by  a  conspicuous  break  in  the 
mountains  called  the  Devil's  Gap.  At  sun-set,  the  land 
was  about  thirty  miles  distant.  We  continued  under 
easy  sail,  standing  off  and  on  during  the  night. 

February  3. — At  day-break  we  were  surprised  to  find 
ourselves  to  the  leeward  of  our  port,  having  been  carried 
a  long  way  to  the  north-west  by  a  current. 

February  4. — We  anchored  in  the  Cove  of  Muscat, 
the  seat  of  government  of  a  sovereign  Arab  prince, 
whose  title  is  that  of  Imaum.  The  Cove  is  formed  by  a 
deep  circular  indentation  in  the  coast,  and  the  land,  or 


18  ARRIVAL  AT  MUSCAT. 

rather  rock,  for  there  is  not  the  least  appearance  of  soil, 
rises  nearly  perpendicular  in  crude  rugged  masses,  pre- 
senting an  aspect  of  the  greatest  sterility  imaginable. 
The  roadstead  and  town  towards  the  sea,  are  defended 
by  a  great  parade  of  fortifications,  but  they  appear  to  be 
in  so  ricketty  a  state,  that  the  firing  of  their  own  guns 
would  demolish  them.  Four  large  vessels  belonging  to 
the  Imaum  were  at  anchor  in  the  harbour ;  one  of  these 
was  the  Liverpool  frigate,  lately  of  his  Majesty's  service, 
which  the  Imaum  purchased  two  years  ago.  His  High- 
ness is  very  fond  of  ships,  but  knows  very  little  about 
them.  From  the  manner  in  which  his  fleet  is  managed, 
it  may  be  considered  rather  as  a  plaything,  than  as  ap- 
plicable to  any  serviceable  purpose.  His  officers  know 
about  as  much  of  nautical  affairs  as  the  Imaum  himself. 
A  short  time  ago,  one  of  the  ships  being  in  danger,  it 
was  recommended  to  the  officer  commanding,  that  a  part 
of  the  standing  rigging  should  be  cut  away.  This  he 
refused  to  do,  on  the  plea  that  "  it  would  spoil  the  look 
of  the  ship !" 

On  anchoring  in  the  Cove,  we  gave  His  Highness  a 
salute  of  eleven  guns,  which  was  immediately  answered 
from  the  shore.  Shortly  after,  Mr.  Hunter,  a  lieutenant 
in  the  navy,  and  Gulaub,  a  native  of  India,  agent  to  our 
Government,  came  on  board  to  see  if  they  could  be  of 
any  service. 

We  asked  the  Prince  if  he  intended  to  go  ashore,  but 
he  declined  because  he  was  not  on  good  terms  with  the 
Imaum.  The  cause  of  difference  was  this :  Futteh  Ali 
Khan  touched  at  Muscat  on  his  way  to  India.  The 
Imaum,  agreeably  to  Oriental  custom,  supplied  his  table 
with  whatever  was  requisite.  Futteh  Ali,  who  is  some- 
what avaricious,  made  an  application  for  money  equiva- 
lent to  the  food  with  which  he  had  been  supplied.  To 
this,  the  Imaum  replied  by  sending  him  a  dollar  a-day '. 


INTRODUCTION    TO    THE    IMAUM.  11) 

Hence  the  coolness  between  their   Persian  and  Arab 
Highnesses! 

Our  party  accompanied  the  first  lieutenant  ashore. 
The  beach,  up  to  high-water  mark,  was  every  where 
covered  with  oyster-shells.  The  sea  literally  swarmed 
with  fish,  and  the  air  was  almost  darkened  by  the  nu- 
merous water-fowls  in  pursuit  of  their  finny  prey. 

We  landed  at  the  northern  extremity  of  the  town, 
close  to  the  market-place,  through  which  we  passed  in 
our  way  to  the  Imaum's  palace.  As  His  Highness  was 
at  prayers  when  we  arrived,  we  waited  at  the  house 
of  Mr.  Hunter  till  three  o'clock,  when  we  received  a 
message  by  Gulaub  that  the  Imaum  was  ready  to  re- 
ceive us. 

We  were  admitted  through  a  narrow  wicket  into  a 
square  court.  In  the  middle  was  a  fountain;  round  it 
where  a  few  sickly  shrubs.  Arabs,  variously  armed, 
were  collected  into  several  groups,  some  sitting  in  a 
circle,  others  sleeping.  In  a  corner  of  this  court  was  a 
ladder  like  that  used  in  a  granary.  We  ascended  to 
the  top,  and  found  there  the  Imaum,  who  shook  hands 
with  us  separately,  as  we  entered  a  long,  narrow,  un- 
adorned apartment,  where  chairs  were  placed  for  him- 
self and  guests.  Though  His  Highness  understands 
Persian,  and  Hindoostany,  and,  as  it  is  said,  English,  he 
spoke  Arabic,  and  Gulaub  officiated  as  interpreter.  The 
conversation,  as  may  be  supposed,  was  not  of  much  in- 
terest. The  Imaum  made  many  inquiries  about  the 
ship,  and  her  rate  of  sailing,  and  said  (in  allusion  to 
Futteh  AH  Khan,)  that  if  captain  Alexander  had  been 
alone,  he  would  have  gone  to  visit  him.  He  repeated 
several  times,  that  the  English  and  himself  were  as  one, 
and  that  his  house,  his  ships,  and  all  that  he  possessed, 
were  ours.  A  boy  about  ten  years  of  age,  who  always 
accompanies  the  Imaum;   was  the  only  person  present 


20  HIS  CHARACTER* 

during  the  interview,  and  Mr.  Hunter  informed  us,  that 
it  was  not  his  custom  to  allow  his  own  people  to  be  by$ 
in  his  conversation  with  Europeans.  Some  sherbet,  well 
flavoured  with  rose-water,  was  handed  round  by  the 
eunuch  in  attendance.  It  may  be  worthy  of  remark, 
that  pipes  were  not  brought  in,  the  Imaum,  and  other 
natives  of  Muscat,  belonging  to  a  sect  called  Bee-asis, 
whose  strict  tenets  forbid  the  use  of  tobacco.  In  half  an 
hour  we  took  our  leave,  as  much  struck  with  the  Ima- 
um's  handsome  person,  as  wTe  were  pleased  at  his  polite 
and  unaffected  address. 

The  patriarchal  simplicity  of  the  Arab  character  is 
strongly  marked  in  every  thing  connected  with  this 
court.  In  the  daily  divan  held  by  the  Imaum,  every 
one  seats  himself  without  any  reference  to  priority. 
Even  beggars  can  demand  this  audience,  and  may  be 
sure  of  having  a  patient  hearing  given  to  their  com- 
plaints. 

The  Imaum  has  on  all  occasions  shown  himself  a  sin- 
cere ally  of  the  English.  It  is  owing,  indeed,  to  our 
having  extirpated  the  Wahhabbee  pirates,  that  he  is 
now  in  possession  of  his  sovereignty.  When  about  six- 
teen years  old,  he  succeeded  his  uncle,  the  late  Imaum, 
in  the  following  manner. 

Being  discontented  with  his  conduct,  he  one  day  pro- 
posed a  ride  to  him.  They  were  scarcely  outside  the 
walls  of  the  town,  when  the  nephew,  lurking  a  little  be- 
hind, drew  his  scimitar,  killed  his  uncle,  and,  returning 
to  Muscat,  seated  himself  without  opposition  on  the  va- 
cant throne.  He  is,  notwithstanding,  much  beloved  by 
his  subjects,  who  speak  in  high  terms  of  his  justice  and 
moderation.  As  to  the  mere  act  of  murdering  his  re- 
lative, it  is  held  in  the  light  of  a  "  family  difference," 
and  is  no  bar  to  his  standing  well  in  public  estimation,  as 
a  prince  of  mild  and  peaceable  demeanour. 


TOWN    OF    MUSCAT.  21 

In  quitting  the  Imaum  I  must  not  forget  to  mention  an 
anecdote  of  the  man  who  admitted  us  into  the  court,  his 
bold  countenance  having  particularly  attracted  our  atten- 
tion. He  was  for  many  years  one  of  the  most  formida- 
ble of  the  famous  Wahhabbee  pirates  whose  successful 
depredations  struck  terror  throughout  these  seas,  and 
threatened  the  total  extinction  of  the  Imaum's  power. 
A  reverse  of  fortune  led  him  to  offer  his  services  to  the 
Imaum:  they  were  immediately  accepted,  and  the  pirate 
was  not  ungrateful.  In  the  action  of  Beneeboo-Ali, 
His  Highness  was  deserted  by  his  troops,  was  wounded 
in  the  wrist,  and  would  have  been  taken  prisoner,  but  for 
the  exertions  of  his  former  foe,  who  alone  remained  faith- 
ful to  him.  Ever  since  that  time,  he  has  held  a  confi- 
dential situation  about  his  person. 

From  the  palace  we  went  to  take  a  view  of  the  town. 
The  bazaar,  or  market,  is  covered  in  at  the  top  to  pro- 
tect the  wares,  which  are  exposed  for  sale  on  open  plat- 
forms in  front  of  the  shops.  A  large  colony  of  Indians, 
principally  from  the  banks  of  the  Indus,  carry  on  the 
wholesale  and  retail  trade.  Amongst  other  articles  ex- 
posed for  sale,  we  observed  coarse  cloths,  different  kinds 
of  grain,  sweetmeats,  not  very  tempting  in  appearance, 
and  fried  locusts.  Besides  these,  were  vast  quantities 
of  salt  and  sulphur,  which  are  all  the  remains  of  the 
boasted  "  wealth  of  Ormuz." 

The  houses  are  flat  roofed,  and  built  of  unhewn  stone. 
The  streets  are  extremely  filthy,  and  so  narrow,  that  by 
extending  the  arms,  I  could  touch  the  walls  on  both  sides. 
The  town  is  of  small  extent,  comprising  a  circumference 
of  two  miles,  and  containing  a  population  of  two  thousand 
souls. 

The  natives  are  very  squalid  in  appearance,  there  are 
scarcely  any  who  have  not  sore  eyes,  and  one-tenth  of 

3 


22  THE  lNUAfclTAXTS. 

the  population  is  blind  of  an  eye.  The  inflammation  is 
probably  produced  by  the  light  particles  of  sand  blown 
from  the  sea-shore,  by  the  powerful  reflection  of  the 
sun's  rays  from  the  walls,  and  by  poverty  of  diet,  which 
consists  almost  entirely  of  fish. 

The  women,  instead  of  the  thick  veil  I  have  seen  in 
other  Mahometan  countries,  wear  a  kind  of  black  domi- 
no, with  large  triangular  holes  for  the  eyes.  They  are, 
generally  speaking,  the  offspring  of  Arab  men  and  Abys- 
sinian negresses.  They  are  not  handsome,  as  they  par- 
take too  much  of  the  flat  noses  and  thick  lips  of  their 
mothers. 

I  have  said  that  the  natives  of  Muscat  are  of  a  sect 
called  Bee-asis.  Before  I  notice  them,  it  may  be  as  well 
to  mention,  that  the  two  principal  sects  of  Mahometans 
are  Sunnis  and  Shiahs.  The  Turks  are  of  the  former, 
and  the  Persians  of  the  latter  persuasion.  The  Sunnis 
recognize  Aboobeker,  Omar,  and  Ottoman,  the  three  first 
successors  of  Mahomet,  as  lawful  Caliphs.  The  Shiahs 
consider  them  as  usurpers  of  the  caliphate;  which  they 
affirm  belonged  of  right  to  Ali.  The  Sunnis  receive 
the  Sunna,  or  book  of  oral  traditions  of  Mahomet,  as 
canonical  authority.  The  Shiahs  reject  it  as  unworthy 
of  credit. 

The  Bee-asis  differ,  in  some  respect,  from  Sunnis 
and  Shiahs  :  both  of  which  sects  have  a  kind  of  venera- 
tion for  the  descendants  of  Mahomet.  The  Bee-asis,  so 
far  from  granting  them  a  pre-eminence,  maintain  that  all 
who  are  Mahometans  by  birth,  are  eligible  for  any 
employment  in  church  or  state.  For  this  reason,  the 
Sovereign  Prince  of  Muscat  is  called  Imaum  5  which  ti- 
tle, amongst  other  Mahometans,  is  given  only  to  Princes 
lineally  descended  from  their  prophet. 

All  Mahometans   are    forbidden    the    use  of  strong 


CURIOUS  MODE  OF  EXTRACTING  TOLL.       23 

drinks.  The  Bee-asis  are  more  rigid  than  the  other 
sects,  both  in  precept  and  practice.  They  not  only  ab- 
stain from  all  fermented  liquors,  but  also  from  tobacco, 
and  from  every  description  of  pomp  or  magnificence  in. 
their  dress,  their  houses,  or  their  mosques.  They  wor- 
ship no  saints;  and  have  neither  convents  nor  dervishes. 
They  have  a  great  regard  for  justice;  and  a  universal 
toleration  for  other  religions. 

At  the  Custom-House  we  observed  a  curious  mode  of 
extracting  toll.  A  negro  slave,  standing  on  a  mat  at  the 
gate,  had  in  his  hand  a  long  sharp  grooved  instrument, 
on  the  principle  of  a  cooper's  bung-tap.  With  this  he 
perforated  every  bag  of  rice  that  was  carried  past  him, 
and  extracted  a  small  portion  from  each. 

The  Imaum  possesses  a  tolerably  good  stud  of  horses. 
We  observed  that  the  manes  and  tails  of  the  colts  were 
kept  close  clipped.  I  know  not  whether  this  custom  is 
common  throughout  Arabia;  but  here,  as  well  as  at  Bus- 
sorah  and  Bagdad,  where  this  mode  of  clipping  is  practi- 
sed, the  horses  are  all  remarkable  for  their  flowing  manes 
and  long  tails. 

In  visiting  the  slave  auction,  I  felt  almost  angry  with 
myself,  for  not  experiencing  more  disgust  at  witnessing 
so  disgraceful  and  unnatural  a  traffic. 

The  market  was  held  in  an  open  space  near  the  land- 
ing-place. Some  twenty  or  thirty  fat  little  negresses, 
from  twelve  to  fourteen  years  of  age,  having  their  wool- 
ly locks  neatly  plaited,  and  their  bodies  well  oiled,  to 
give  them  a  sleek  appearance,  were  ranged  in  two  rows, 
on  some  logs  of  timber.  Too  young  to  trouble  them- 
selves with  their  degraded  state,  they  sat  giggling  and 
chattering  with  the  utmost  non-chalance.  Our  uniforms 
appeared  to  afford  them  much  merriment.  One  dingy 
little  coquette,  by  significantly  pointing  to  us,  set  the  rest 


24  SLAVE  AUCTION. 

in  a  roar  of  laughter.  In  the  meantime  the  slave-mer- 
chant was  leading  by  the  hand  one  of  the  party,  and 
calling  out  her  price.  As  for  herself,  she  seemed  more 
intent  to  catch  the  joke  of  her  companion,  than  to  ascer- 
tain any  thing  respecting  her  future  destiny. 


SUBURBS.  25 


CHAPTER  II. 

Suburbs  of  Muscat — Drunken  Persian — Fisb-fed  Horses — Sterile 
appearance  of  the  country — Village  of  Poorslvur — Giaffer's  con- 
duct— Set  sail  for  Bussorah — Cape  Jask — The  Quoins — Cape 
Musendom — Islands  of  the  Tombs — Pulior — Cape  Nabon — 
Cape  Verdistan — Bushire — Karrack — Arab  Pilot — Sick  Native 
— Cape  Baungk— Pilot's  mode  of  navigating  the  ship — Runs 
her  ashore — His  apology— Appearance  of  the  Coast — Behaviour 
of  an  Arab  Sheikh. 

February  5. — The  suburbs  of  Muscat  appear  more 
populous  than  the  town.  The  inhabitants  are  principally 
Abyssinian  slaves.  There  is  also  a  large  encampment  of 
Nomade  Arabs,  who  live  in  mat  tents,  which  they  trans- 
port from  place  to  place.  We  visited  many  of  these  en- 
campments in  the  course  of  the  day,  and  found  the  in- 
habitants singing  and  dancing.  Their  tents  are  in  the 
form  of  a  Bengal  routee,  having  an  enclosure  in  front,  in 
which  the  cattle  are  lodged  at  night. 

Half  a  mile  from  the  town,  we  observed  several  oxen 
employed  in  drawing  water  from  wells,  which  supply  all 
Muscat,  by  means  of  channels  formed  in  the  rock.  Com- 
manding each  spring  is  a  circular  bastion — a  most  neces- 
sary defence  against  an  enemy,  who  might,  if  they  were 
unguarded,  easily  divert  the  course  of  these  scanty  reser- 
voirs, and  occasion  a  complete  drought  in  the  town. 
The  scarcity  of  water  in  Arabia,  has  always  made  that  ele- 
ment of  a  value,  not  so  well  understood  in  our  country, 
where  it  is  in  such  abundance.  Nearly  the  first  conten- 
tion of  which  we  have  an  account  in  Scripture  History 
is,  when  "  the  herdsmen  of  Gerar  did  strive  with  Isaac's 


20  WELLS. 

herdsmen,"  for  some  wells  which  were  called,  on  that 
account,  u  Esek  and  Sitnah," — Contention  and  hatred. 

Except  in  the  immediate  vicinity  of  the  wells,  no  ver- 
dure was  observable  on  this  side  of  the  town,  the  whole 
country  being  a  succession  of  black,  rugged,  and  lofty 
rocks.  On  the  other  side  we  saw  a  few  enclosures,  con- 
taining date  trees,  wheat,  and  a  few  vegetables. 

In  the  evening,  our  party  dined  with  Mr.  Hunter,  at 
whose  hospitable  board  we  had  an  opportunity  of  ascer- 
taining the  excellent  flavour  of  the  beef,  mutton,  and  kid 
of  Muscat,  which,  in  common  with  cattle  of  every  de- 
scription, are  fed  on  dates,  fish,  and  the  seed  of  the  cot- 
ton plant.  Strange  to  say,  these  animals  thrive  under 
this  peculiar  diet,  their  flesh  is  not  affected  by  any  fishy 
savour,  and  the  butter  was  the  best  I  had  tasted  since 
leaving  England. 

The  inhabitants  of  this,  and  the  opposite  coast,  subsist 
almost  entirely  upon  fish,  not  having  altered  in  this  re- 
spect since  the  time  of  Herodotus,  who  describes  them  as 
the  Ichthiophagi,  or  Fish  Eaters. 

February  6. — In  consequence  of  a  strong  N.  W. 
wind,  which  caused  a  heavy  surf,  the  ship's  company 
were  prevented  from  getting  in  their  water  till  the  even- 
ing. This  caused  a  day's  delay,  of  which  Mr.  Lamb 
and  I  availed  ourselves  to  visit  some  hot-springs,  twenty 
miles  distant. 

We  took  with  us  a  drunken  Persian  of  the  name  of 
Giaffer,  the  superintendent  of  the  Imaum  stud,  who  had 
acted  as  our  cicerone  the  day  before.  We  started  at  an 
early  hour  in  a  canoe,  to  a  small  town  called  Muttra,  dis- 
tant five  miles.  On  our  way,  we  observed  one  of  the 
pearl-divers,  who  remained  ninety-one  seconds  under 
water.  Muscat  is  famed  for  its  pearl-fisheries :  but  we 
had  no  opportunity  of  visiting  them. 

At  Muttra,  we  went  to  the  house  of  a  respectable 


A    DRUNKEN    PERSIAN.  27 

Parsee  merchant,  who  very  kindly  laid  before  us  as  com- 
fortable a  meal  as  his  habitation  afforded.  We  offered 
Giaffer  some  spirits,  but  his  modesty  got  the  better  of 
his  inclination,  and  he  declined.  There  were  two  bot- 
tles of  gin  upon  the  table;  from  one  of  these  we  poured 
out  a  glass,  which  he  drank  off,  pretending  to  mistake  it 
for  water;  first,  however,  looking  cautiously  round,  lest 
any  Mussulman  should  observe  him  thus  openly  infringe 
the  Prophet's  laws. 

From  the  windows  of  our  host's  house,  we  saw  a  sloop 
of  war  of  twenty  guns,  building  for  the  Imaum.  She 
was  standing  with  the  broadside  on  to  the  beach,  in 
which  manner  she  was  to  be  pushed  into  the  sea. 

By  the  kindness  of  the  Imaum,  all  Englishmen  visit- 
ing Muscat  are  furnished  with  horses  from  His  High- 
nesses stables.  After  breakfast,  three  were  brought  to 
the  door  for  us.  They  were  small  cat-hammed  fish-fed 
wretches ;  one  of  them  was  a  mare,  large  with  foal,  and 
they  were  all  apparently  incapable  of  undergoing  the  la- 
bour of  such  an  excursion.  They,  however,  belied  their 
appearance ;  for  we  were  no  sooner  seated  in  our  saddles, 
than  off  they  scampered  over  stony  beds  of  torrents,  up 
rugged  rocks,  down  frightful  precipices,  and  not  always 
with  the  consent  of  their  riders. 

The  road  led  N.  along  the  coast,  the  course  of  which 
we  followed,  ten  miles  distant  from  the  sea.  We  passed 
heights  rising  abruptly  immediately  behind  the  town, 
and  then  went  over  a  level  plain  two  miles  in  extent, 
many  parts  bearing  marks  of  cultivation,  although  not  a 
blade  of  verdure  was  then  visible ;  and  the  thin  sprink- 
ling of  soil  with  which  it  was  partially  covered,  seemed 
little  adapted  for  crops  of  any  description.  In  the  pla- 
ces where  crops  appear  to  have  been  raised,  numerous 
pits  are  dug  for  irrigation,  without  which,  nothing  can 
be  produced.      We  passed  four  small  villages  on  our 


28  VILLAGE  OF  POORSHUR. 

journey,  saw  a  few  date-trees,  and  some  little  cultiva- 
tion. We  reached  the  village  of  Poorshur,  near  which 
the  springs  are  situate,  in  a  couple  of  hours.  About  a 
mile  from  the  village,  we  crossed  a  sandy  ridge,  on 
which  were  a  few  stunted  plants  of  the  Mimosa  Nilo- 
tica,  the  only  natural  vegetation  which  we  saw  in  this 
country. 

The  temperature  of  the  hot-spring  is  113  Farenheit. 
The  water  issues  from  a  crevice  in  the  mountain  (which 
is  a  conglomerate  sand-stone)  in  a  rapid  stream  of  three 
inches  diameter.  No  gas  escapes  from  it,  and  from  the 
taste,  it  has  no  mercurial  properties.  The  villagers  use 
it  for  culinary  purposes,  and  it  is  supposed  to  be  good 
for  diseases  of  the  skin.  We  filled  a  bottle  with  the 
water,  for  analysis,  but  rode  so  fast  back  again,  that  we 
were  obliged  to  leave  it  behind.  I  was  told  by  an  Arab, 
that  there  was  a  spring  of  boiling  water  twenty  miles 
beyond  Poorshur.  A  small  reservoir  is  built  near  the 
place  whence  it  issues  from  the  rock,  for  the  convenience 
of  bathing.  Giaffer  jumped  in,  and  remained  some 
time ;  we  followed  his  example,  but  the  heat  made  us  as 
quickly  jump  out  again. 

.  The  village  of  Poorshur  is  the  most  agreeably  situated 
of  any  we  passed.  A  considerable  portion  of  ground  is 
cultivated  around  it,  and  the  scene  is  diversified  by  seve- 
ral large  trees. 

A  mat  was  laid  in  front  of  a  small  hut;  and  on  the 
contents  of  a  basket  provided  by  Mr.  Hunter,  we  made 
a  hearty  dinner.  While  we  were  eating,  a  crowd  of 
villagers  formed  a  semi -circle  in  front  of  us.  Giaffer 
distributed  the  fragments  amongst  them;  which  some  of 
them  tasted,  apparently  from  curiosity.  All  the  time 
we  remained,  village  females  passed  to  and  from  the 
spring  for  water,  and  generally  without  being  veiled. 
They  were  natives  of  Beloochstan>  a  province  of  Persia? 


NATIVES  OF  BELOOCHSTAN.  2$ 

opposite  Muscat.  Some  of  them  had  good  figures,  and 
regular  features;  but  the  complexion  of  all  was  a  dingy 
sallow. 

Giaffer  played  the  great  man  amongst  the  villagers; 
and  being  an  officer  of  the  Imaum's,  ordered  them  about, 
as  if  they  had  been  his  slaves.  He  had  now  overcome 
his  morning  scruples,  and  drank  great  quantities  of  wine 
and  brandy.  Amongst  other  jokes,  he  tried  to  intoxicate 
a  female,  who  applied  for  relief  from  rheumatic  pains, 
by  giving  her  brandy,  and  calling  it  medicine.  He  then 
made  her  sit  down  beside  him,  and  eat  some  ham,  which 
forbidden  food  he  told  her  was  European  mutton.  He 
accounted  to  us  for  his  particular  kindness  td  her,  by 
saying,  that  she  had  a  very  handsome  sister ;  who,  if  we 
wished,  should  be  immediately  forthcoming. 

In  returning,  Giaffer  gave  us  an  account  of  his  life: 
he  was  very  anxious  to  come  with  us  to  Persia;  but 
we  had  seen  too  much  of  him,  to  desire  a  further  ac- 
quaintance. 

We  found  some  difficulty  in  procuring  a  boat  at  Mut- 
tra,  to  take  us  on  board,  as  it  was  near  sun-set,  and  the 
boats  had  not  returned  from  their  daily  employment. 
We  at  last  engaged  a  canoe ;  but  one  of  the  slaves  de- 
murred about  rowing  us  alongside,  lest  we  should  press 
him  into  the  service.  Two  persons  navigate .  these  ca- 
noes, which  are  formed  out  of  a  single  tree. 

We  were  challenged  several  times  in  passing  the  bat- 
teries, and  were  informed  that  the  port  regulations  did 
not  admit  our  quitting  the  shore  after  dusk. 

When  on  board,  Giaffer  intreated  us  to  give  him  ei- 
ther more  money  or  more  liquor;  but  we  refused,  as  he 
had  already  had  plenty  of  both.  Finding  us  persist  iit 
our  denials,  he  threw  himself  on  his  face,  and  repeated-1 
ly  kissed  the  deck,  to  enforce  his  petition. 

4 


oO  SET  SAIL  FOR  BUSSOKAH. 

February  7. — We  sailed  this  morning  at  break  of 
day,  with  the  wind  as  favourable  as  it  could  blow.  Our 
numbers  were  increased  by  Lieutenant  Taylor  of  the 
Madras  cavalry,  and  his  lady,  and  Mr.  Harrison  of  the 
Bombay  Marine.  They  had  come  from  Bombay  to 
Muscat  in  the  Liverpool,  and  had  been  waiting  for  an 
opportunity  to  proceed  up  the  Gulph,  when  Captain 
Alexander  with  his  usual  kindness,  granted  them  a  pas- 
sage. Lieutenant  and  Mrs.  Taylor  were  going  on  a  vi- 
sit to  their  brother  Captain  Taylor,  our  political  agent 
at  Bussorah.  Mr.  Harrison  was  proceeding  to  join  one 
of  the  Company's  cruisers. 

February  8,  9. — We  passed  Cape  Jask  on  the  8th; 
and,  on  the  evening  of  the  9th,  arrived  off  the  Quoins. 
These  are  five  small  rocky  islands.  Ships  generally 
prefer  going  outside ;  but  the  wind  was  too  scant  to  en- 
able us  to  do  so. 

The  wind  continued  favourable,  and  the  weather  de- 
lightful. The  kindness  and  good  humour  of  the  officers 
and  every  one  on  board,  made  the  voyage  quite  a  party 
of  pleasure.  We  had  a  beautiful  view  of  Cape  Musen- 
dom,  of  the  islands  of  the  Tombs,  and  of  Pulior,  in  suc- 
cession: this  last,  the  Pulior  of  the  Greeks,  we  passed 
within  a  mile.  They  are  all  rocky,  and  elevated  three 
or  fouf  hundred  feet.  From  the  distance  at  which  we 
were,  they  had  a  volcanic  appearance ;  which  is,  I  be- 
lieve, their  character. 

February  10,  11. — We  passed  Cape  Nabon  on  the 
10th,  and  Cape  Verdistan  on  the  11th. 

February  12. — The  S.  E.  wind  which  had  blown 
gently  hitherto,  now  increased  to  a  strong  breeze.  The 
next  morning  we  arrived  at  Bushire,  (or  more  properly, 
Abooshehr.)  At  this  place  travellers  disembark,  who 
intend  taking  the  direct  route  through  Persia.    It  was 


KARRACK.  31 

Captain  Alexanders  intention  to  have  touched  here,  but 
the  wind  not  serving  to  enter  the  harbour,  and  being  fa- 
vourable for  pursuing  our  voyage,  we  took  advantage  of 
the  opportunity  of  meeting  the  Honourable  Company's 
cruiser  Discovery ;  and  sent  letters  and  parcels  by  her  to 
Bushire.  After  which,  we  proceeded  on  our  voyage, 
and  reached  Karrack  at  three  in  the  afternoon.  The 
Discovery  was  engaged  on  a  survey  of  the  Arabian 
shore.  Her  officers  informed  us  that  they  had  discover- 
ed a  large  inlet,  into  which  they  proceeded  to  lat.  81.  in 
the  meridian  of  Muscat. 

Karrack,  the  Icarus  of  Arrian,  is  a  small  rocky  island, 
famous  for  its  pearl  fishery.  It  was  formerly  in  posses- 
sion of  the  Dutch,  wrhen  the  population  amounted  to 
three  thousand  ;  but  it  has  now  not  more  than  three 
hundred  inhabitants.  They  manufacture  a  coarse  kind 
of  cloth ;  and  subsist  upon  the  produce  of  their  gardens, 
and  fishing-nets.  The  ruins  of  warehouses,  and  a 
church,  bespeak  the  former  grandeur  of  the  place- 
Ships  bound  to  Bussorah  engage  a  pilot  here.  We 
sent  on  shore  for  one,  who  came  off,  accompanied  by  a 
sick  townsman,  whom  he  brought  for  medical  advice. 

The  ship  had  been  lying-to  for  a  couple  of  hours  for 
the  pilot,  and  was  only  waiting  for  his  directions  to  make 
sail.  The  sun  was  just  setting,  as  he  came  upon  deck ; 
he,  however,  took  no  notice  of  our  impatience  to  pro- 
ceed, but  went  aft,  and  spreading  his  mat,  was  soon  so 
engaged  in  prayer,  as  to  be  seemingly  unconscious  of  all 
external  objects. 

The  case  of  the  sick  man,  who  accompanied  the  pilot, 
is  rather  singular.  About  ten  months  ago,  in  digging 
for  the  foundation  of  a  house,  he  found  a  quantity  of  an- 
cient gold  coins.  The  discovery  soon  came  to  the  know- 
ledge of  the  Sheikh,  or  Governor  of  Bushire,  who  im- 
mediately caused  the  whole  treasure  to  be  transferred  to 


32  ARAB    PILOT. 

his  own  coffers-  The  Sheikh's  officers,  long  after  all 
had  been  given  up,  so  alarmed  the  poor  finder  of  the 
gold,  by  going  to  him  daily,  and  saying  they  were  come 
to  lead  him  to  instant  execution,  that  they  drove  him 
to  a  state  of  derangement,  under  which  he  was  labour^ 
ing  when  we  saw  him.  The  apprehensions  of  losing 
his  life,  had  so  worked  upon  his  imagination,  that  he 
continually  fancied  he  heard  voices,  bidding  him  prepare 
for  instant  death. 

In  making  sail,  the  mainyard  gave  way.  During  the 
consequent  delay,  our  favourable  wind  forsook  us.  Be^ 
ing  now  within  the  influence  of  the  tide  we  were  obli- 
ged, when  it  changed  against  us,  to  anchor  on  the  Per-* 
sian  shore,  off  Cape  Baungk,  the  Bang  of  the  charts. 

The  South-East  wind,  called  Shurgee,  had  blown  un-> 
usually  long  for  the  season.  The  North-West,  or  Shu-r 
maul,  being  the  regular  wind  at  this  period. 

We  continued  close  along  the  Persian  shore,  beating 
to  the  West,  while  favoured  by  the  tide,  and  anchoring 
when  it  changed. 

The  mode  adopted  by  our  pilot  for  ascertaining  the 
proper  channel,  was  by  the  state  of  the  soundings.  If 
hard,  he  would  decide  that  we  had  reached  the  bank  of 
the  channel,  and  would  put  the  ship  about,  till  a  similar 
indication  proved  we  were  on  the  other  side,  when  he 
would  order  the  ship  on  the  opposite  tack.  His  whole 
stock  of  English  consisted  in  two  inquiries ;  one  relative 
to  the  ship's  course,  and  the  other,  to  her  soundings. 
The  repeated  queries  of,  "  How  is  her  head  ?  Hard  or 
soft?"  produced  a  combination  of  words  that  afforded 
much  merriment  to  the  sailors. 

February  16.- — In  this  manner,  we  continued  to  grope 
our  way  for  the  channel,  till,  on  the  morning  of  the 
16th,  I  was  standing  at  the  gangway  repeating,  in  Per- 
sian, to  the  pilot,  the  soundings  as  given  by  the  man  in 


THE    SHIP    RUN    ASHORE    BY    THE    PILOT.  33 

the  chains,  when  some  one  forward  cried  out,  "  Shoal 
a-head."  I  immediately  informed  the  pilot  of  this;  but 
as  he  would  not  alter  the  ship's  course,  in  one  moment 
we  found  ourselves  aground.  Every  effort  was  made  for 
relief.  Our  water  was  started,  and  a  small  anchor  laid 
out,  by  which  means,  in  two  hours,  she  was  hauled  off, 
and  very  fortunately,  without  sustaining  any  damage. 
We  anchored  soon  after,  in  three  fathoms  water  at  high 
tide ;  and  as  the  tide  fell  nine  feet,  the  ship  lay  aground 
for  some  time;  but  the  bottom  being  soft  she  was  quite 
safe. 

While  this  was  going  on,  the  author  of  our  calamity 
was  pacing  the  deck,  the  picture  of  terror  and  indecision, 
calling  aloud  on  Mahomet  to  assist  us  out  of  the  danger. 
His  fears  were  not  much  lessened  by  the  threats  thrown 
out  by  each  passing  tar.  "  I  say,  Jack,"  said  one  of 
them,  "we'll  string  you  up  for  this;"  making  his  ob- 
servation intelligible,  by  pointing  with  one  hand  to  the 
yard-arm,  and  with  the  other,  to  the  neck  of  his  audi- 
tor, at  the  same  time  imitating  the  convulsive  guggle  of 
strangulation.  When  called  to  account  for  his  obstinacy, 
the  pilot  gave  us  an  answer  in  the  true  spirit  of  predes- 
tination ;  « If  it  is  God's  pleasure  that  the  ship  should 
go  ashore,  what  business  is  it  of  mine  ?" 

The  place  where  we  ran  aground,  was  one  of  the 
banks,  at  the  mouth  of  the  united  streams  of  Euphrates 
and  Tigris,  called  Shut  ul  Arab,  or  Boundary  of  Arabia. 
Seven  channels  form  the  approach  to  the  river,  but  only 
one  is  navagable  for  large  ships.  On  the  morning  of  the 
17th  we  came  in  sight  of  the  once  famed  land  of  Meso- 
potamia, than  which  nothing  can  be  more  uninteresting 
in  appearance.  The  country  is  so  dead  a  flat,  that  the 
numerous  pelicans,  which  darken  the  sands  at  the  mouth 
of  the  river,  are  the  first  indications  we  obtained  of  our 
approach  to  shore.     Shortly  after,  when  the  land  was  on. 


34  ARAB    SHEIKH. 

both  sides  of  us,  the  classical  Euphrates  was  to  be  seen 
lazily  pursuing  its  course  between  low  banks  of  mud  and 
rushes.  In  proceeding  up  the  river  the  scene  changed, 
offering  a  nearly  uninterrupted  succession  of  date-trees 
till  we  reached  Bussorah. 

A  short  time  before  we  anchored,  we  passed  the  ship 
Sultan,  and  sent  letters  by  her  to  our  Indian  friends. 
The  sultan  had  on  board  a  cargo  of  horses,  from  Busso- 
rah, for  the  Calcutta  market.  Ships  trading  between 
the  Indian  Presidencies  and  the  Gulph,  find  horses  a  pro- 
fitable speculation. 

February  18. — In  working  up  the  river  this  after- 
noon, we  were  visited  by  the  Sheikh,  or  chieftain,  of 
the  adjacent  country,  who  brought  a  present  of  fish  for 
the  Captain.  He  wTas  a  tall  commanding-looking  man, 
wore  a  dagger  in  his  girdle,  and  was  dressed  in  loose 
flowing  robes  of  light  green  silk. 

Shortly  after  he  came  on  board  a  few  minutes,  he  ad- 
dressed himself  to  me  as  the  interpreter,  and  said  in  a 
whisper,  that  he  should  like  to  pledge  the  officers  in  a 
glass  of  brandy  and  water;  but,  being  a  Mahometan,  he 
felt  a  difficulty  in  drinking  before  the  Prince.  On  this 
hint,  he  was  invited  into  the  gun-room,  and  a  brandy 
bottle  being  placed  before  him,  he  made  such  copious  li- 
bations, that  he  completely  overcame  his  Mahometan  no- 
tions of  modesty,  and  when  summoned  to  dinner,  seated 
himself  next  the  Prince,  and  so  terrified  him  with  his 
drunken  embraces,  that  His  Highness  begged  I  would  sit 
between  them.  By  this  unenviable  honour,  I  came  in 
for  the  greater  share  of  his  kindness.  It  was  not,  how- 
ever, confined  to  me.  Seizing  the  dishes  within  his 
grasp,  he  severed,  with  his  brawny  fingers,  the  several 
meats  contained  in  them,  and  threw  a  piece  to  every 
person  at  table.  Then  turning  to  the  Prince,  and  flour- 
ishing his  greasy  arm,  bared  to  the  elbow,  he  abused 


BEHAVIOUR   OF    AN    ARAB   SHEIKH.  35 

His  Highness  for  not  pledging  him,  in  no  very  measured 
terms. 

If  the  Arab  showed  too  much  national  dislike  to  the 
Persian,  he  was  rather  too  cordial  towards  us,  calling  us 
brothers,  and  expressing  his  regard  by  gestures,  as  well 
as  by  words.  His  attentions  were  beginning  to  be  rather 
annoying,  when  he  was  luckily  obliged  to  make  a  speedy 
retreat  from  the  table. 

The  scene,  though  distressing  on  account  of  the  agony 
which  the  effeminate  Persian  endured,  under  the  mus- 
cular grasp  of  this  Arab  barbarian,  was  nevertheless 
amusing, — the  timid  uneasiness  of  the  one,  being  ludi- 
crously contrasted  with  the  satyr-like  drunkenness  of  the 
other. 


36  THE    SHEIK1TS    MODEST    DEMEANOUR. 


CHAPTER  III. 

The  Sheikh's  modest  demeanour — His  Residence — Repast — Spi- 
rited Reply  of  the  Sheikh's  Son — Captain  Taylor — Land  at 
Bussorah — New  Governor — Ex-Governor — The  New  Govern- 
or's Public  Entrance  into  Bussorah — First  act  of  his  Govern- 
ment— His  Visits  to  the  Political  Agent — His  Visit  returned — 
Wearing  Shoes  in  the  Chamber  of  an  Asiatic — Horse-racing  in 
the  Desert — The  Governor's  attempt  at  Oppression — An  Ar- 
menian's Betrothment — Pas  de  deux  between  a  Jew  and  a 
Turk. 

February  19. — It  was  entertaining  to  observe  the 
timid  and  downcast  look,  which  the  Sheikh  put  on  his 
countenance  this  morning,  differing  so  widely  from  the 
habitual  ferocity  of  his  aspect.  To  cheer  up  his  spirits, 
and  to  make  his  mind  easy,  Mr.  Hamilton  and  myself 
accepted  his  invitation  to  go  to  his  house.  Once  out  of 
the  ship,  he  soon  regained  his  spirits,  and  proved  to  be  a 
very  agreeable  companion. 

The  Sheikh  told  us,  that  within  a  few  miles  of  Mo- 
humrah,  there  was  a  stone  with  an  inscription  in  Euro- 
pean characters.  This  may  possibly  be  an  ancient 
record,  and  worthy  of  the  notice  of  some  future  travel- 
ler. From  the  direction  in  which  he  pointed,  it  must 
be  nearly  south  of  Mohumrah. 

The  Sheikh's  residence  is  in  a  quadrangular  mud 
fort ;  the  walls  of  which,  in  many  places,  have  been  bat- 
tered down  by  the  rain. 

The  mansion,  like  the  fort,  is  built  entirely  of  mud  : 
round  it  are  the  huts  of  the  Sheikh's  retainers.  The 
interior  of  the  dwelling  is  entirely  destitute  of  ornament, 


SHEIKH'S  SON — HIS    SPIRITED  REPLY.  37 

A  carpet  was  spread  for  us  on  the  dusty  floor,  round 
which  we  seated  ourselves  very  comfortably,  to  some  ex- 
cellent fish,  fruits,  and  sweetmeats;  and  with  this  good 
cheer  forgot  the  unfurnished  state  of  the  apartment,  an 
the  absence  of  knives  and  forks. 

We  were  much  amused  with  the  Sheikh's  son,  a  child 
three  years  old,  whose  spirited  answers  were  strong  in 
dications  of  the  manner  in  which  his  father  was  bring- 
ing him  up.  I  asked  him,  among  other  questions,  if  he 
was  an  Arab  or  a  Persian.  Indignant  that  there  should 
be  a  doubt  upon  the  subject,  his  little  hand  grasped  the 
dagger  in  his  girdle,  as  he  replied  in  an  angry  tone, 
"God  be  praised,  I  am  an  Arab!"  an  example  how  ear- 
ly a  mutual  hatred  is  instilled  into  the  youth  of  these  ri- 
val nations. 

February  20. — We  anchored  within  ten  miles  of  Bus- 
sorah.  Captain  Taylor,  the  political  agent,  came  on 
board,  was  received  with  the  customary  salute,  and  after 
dinner  returned  ashore. 

The  next  morning,  the  ship  anchored  opposite  the 
town.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Taylor,  and  our  travelling  party 
disembarked,  and  landed  at  the  British  factory,  the  resi- 
dence of  the  political  agent.  With  the  exception  of  the 
palace,  this  is  the  best  house  in  town.  It  is  situate  a 
mile  up  a  narrow  creek,  which  discharges  itself  into  the 
Shut  ul  Arab. 

A  few  days  before  our  arrival,  the  brother  of  the  Pa- 
cha of  Bagdad,  himself  a  Pacha  of  two  tails,  had  been 
appointed  governor  of  Bussorah.  He  was  encamped  in 
the  Desert,  outside  the  walls,  and  was  shortly  to  make 
his  public  entrance  into  the  town. 

The  late  governor,  having  a  short  time  before  receiv- 
ed secret  intelligence  that  his  successor  was  appointed, 
one  night  mounted  his  horse  and  traversed  the  Desert  to 
Bagdad.     He  thought  it  expedient  not  to  wait  to  deli- 

5 


38  EX-GOVEllNOU  OF  BUSSORAH. 

ver  up  his  authority  formally;  because  it  is  the  usual 
custom  of  a  new  governor  to  seize  upon  the  person  of 
his  predecessor,  and  to  extract  from  him  what  money  he 
can.  By  this  means,  the  ex-governor  has  generally  to 
refund  some  of  his  ill-gotten  wealth  here,  and  on  arriving 
at  Bagdad,  to  answer  the  additional  demands  made  upon 
him  by  the  Pasha  of  that  city,  whose  delegate  he  is.  In 
the  present  instance,  he  has  only  to  satisfy  the  rapacity 
of  the  one,  instead  of  both  the  brothers.  He  will  then 
fall  back  into  his  original  situation  of  janizary,  with 
which  he  must  be  content,  till  his  stars  guide  him  to  an- 
other government,  or  a  bow-string. 

February  22. — The  Pasha  made  his  public  entrance 
this  morning.  We  saw  the  whole  procession  from  the 
windows  of  a  Persian's  house.  They  came  in  the  follow- 
ing order : — 

At  nine  o'clock,  a  body  of  armed  men,  forming  an  ad- 
vance guard,  announced  their  approach  by  a  continual 
discharge  of  musquetry,  and  passed  us  at  a  jog  trot; 
then  another  party,  who  occasionally  halted,  and  danced 
in  a  circle;  marking  time  by  striking  their  swords  against 
each  others'  shields.  These  were  followed  by  large  par- 
ties of  Desert  Arabs,  of  the  Zobeir  tribe,  preceded  by 
their  immediate  petty  chiefs,  on  horseback.  Each  of 
them  had  carried  before  him,  a  large  flag,  red,  green, 
and  red.  The  Zobeir  Arabs  are  mercenary  troops,  and 
acknowledge  a  kind  of  subjection  to  the  Governor:  they 
are  small,  mean-looking  men,  with  an  Indian  cast  of  fea- 
tures. They  carried  either  fire-arms,  or  swords  and 
shields.  Some  had  their  robes  bound  at  the  waist  with 
a  girdle ;  others  wore  only  a  loose  shirt.  Several  had 
on  the  handkerchief  turban,  peculiar  to  the  Arabs;  and 
a  few  were  bareheaded,  having  their  hair  twisted  into 
several  long  plaits.  This  appears  to  have  been  the  an- 
cient custom  of  the  people  of  the  Persian  Gulph.     Dio- 


governor's  public  entry.  39 

dorus  Siculus  describes  the  inhabitants  of  Gidrosia,*  as 
keeping  their  hair  thick  and  matted,  t«  t^;^^«  *sirtxSf& 

vtv  tact. 

After  these  came  the  toofungees,  personal  troops  of 
the  Governor,  distinguishable  by  fur  caps,  nearly  a  yard 
in  diameter;  then  the  Pasha's  led  horses  richly  capari- 
soned. Behind  them,  a  troop  of  mounted  Tchouses, 
(messengers,)  beating  small  drums  placed  at  the  saddle- 
bow. These  were  followed  by  the  native  officers  of  the 
English  factory,  mounted  on  horses  "  trimly  decked.'' 
Then  the  Capitan  Pasha,  (the  Admiral,)  who,  with  a 
watch  in  his  hand,  was  timing  the  auspicious  moment,  as 
laid  down  by  the  astrologers,  for  the  Pasha's  entrance 
into  his  palace.  This  was  decided  to  be  twenty  minutes 
past  three,  Turkish  time;  or  twenty  minutes  past  nine, 
according  to  European  computation.  Next  came  the 
Cadi  and  Mufti,  whose  offices  are  so  often  mentioned  in 
the  Arabian  Nights ;  and  then  the  Pasha,  with  his  hand 
on  his  breast,  returning  the  salutations  of  the  popu- 
lace. At  the  moment  of  his  appearing,  a  group  of  wo- 
men, covered  from  head  to  foot,  set  up  a  loud  and  shrill 
cry.  A  troop  of  mounted  Janizaries  brought  up  the 
rear,  having  with  them  a  band,  the  music  of  whose  in- 
struments resembled  that  of  so  many  penny  trumpets. 

During  this  procession,  muskets  were  incessantly  fired 
off;  the  report  of  which,  combined  with  the  squeaking 
of  the  music,  the  noise  of  the  tamtams,  the  squalling  of 
the  women,  and  the  rude  singing  of  the  soldiery,  form- 
ed a  din  of  discord  more  easily  conceived  than  de- 
scribed. 


*  Gedrosia  is  now  the  Province  of  Mekran.  Alexander  the 
Great  passed  through  it,  on  his  return  from  India.  It  was  the 
country  of  the  Ichthiophagi,  and  the  present  name,  Mekran,  has 
the  same  signification-. 


40  FIRST  ACT  OF  HIS  GOVERNMENT. 

Salutes  from  His  Majesty's  ship  Alligator,  and  all  the 
ships  at  anchor,  announced  the  reading  of  the  firman,  or 
order,  appointing  the  Pasha  Mooselim  Governor;  and 
the  first  act  of  his  government  was  to  publish  an  edict, 
graciously  informing  the  loyal  citizens  of  Bussorah,  that 
any  one  of  them,  found  in  the  bazaar  after  nine  in  the 
evening,  would  certainly  be  hanged. 

February  24. — After  some  diplomatic  discussion,  the 
Pasha  consented  to  pay  the  political  agent  the  first  visit, 
provided  the  compliment  was  immediately  returned.  He 
came  this  morning,  attended  by  the  same  retinue  which 
accompanied  him  on  his  arrival  into  town.  The  inter- 
view was  uninteresting ;  the  Pasha  being  a  man  of  mean 
abilities,  and  excelling  in  nothing,  but  that  at  which 
most  despots  are  proficients — extortion. 

February  26. — This  morning,  Captain  Taylor  return- 
ed the  Pasha's  visit.  He  was  preceded  by  his  Drago- 
mans, Tchousses,  and  Janizaries,  bearing  banners ;  and 
accompanied  by  Captain  Alexander,  the  officers  of  the 
Alligator,  and  our  travelling  party.  Following  us,  were 
numerous  Christians,  Jews,  and  Mahometans,  enjoying 
British  protection.  Our  procession,  though  not  quite  so 
numerous  as  that  of  the  Pasha,  was  more  regular  and  or- 
derly ;  and  our  pageant  was  considerably  swelled  by  the 
addition  of  the  Alligator's  marines,  whose  steady  march 
formed  a  strong  contrast  with  the  savage  dance  of  the 
wild  Arab  soldiery  we  had  seen  a  few  days  before. 
When  we  arrived  at  the  Serai,  (palace,)  we  dismounted 
from  our  horses,  and  ascended  the  stairs.  We  were  no 
sooner  in  sight  of  the  Pasha,  than  two  of  his  officers,  one 
on  each  side,  put  their  arms  under  his  shoulders,  and 
carried  him  into  the  hall  of  audience,  as  if  he  had  been 
suddenly  deprived  of  the  use  of  his  legs ;  a  similar  form 
was  observed  by  the  attendants  of  Captain  Taylor.  In 
this  manner,  both,  according  to  established  etiquette, 


CURIOUS    CEREMONY.  41 

entered  the  apartment  together :  for,  as  in  Turkey  the 
inferior  rises  to  receive  the  superior,  and  as  both  here 
considered  themselves  equal  :  the  one  rising  for  the 
other,  would  have  been  a  concession  that  neither  would 
have  made. 

The  ceremony  of  carrying  the  great  man  into  the 
Divan  is  an  ancient  custom,  and  is  mentioned  in  the 
Arabian  Nights.  Abon  Hassan,  (the  Sleeper  awaken- 
ed,) when  acting  the  Caliph,  was  lifted  up  the  steps  of 
the  throne  by  Mesrour  the  Chief  of  the  Eunuchs,  and 
another  officer,  whose  business  it  was  to  assist  in  this 
ceremony. 

The  floor  of  the  room  in  which  we  were  received, 
was  covered  with  Persian  carpets,  and  Turkish  pillows 
were  placed  round  the  walls.  The  Pasha,  and  his  Eu- 
ropean guests,  occupied  chairs.  Servants  came  in  and 
threw  over  each  of  us  an  embroidered  scarf,  by  way  of 
a  napkin:  we  were  then  presented  with  sweetmeats, 
coffee,  Turkish  and  Persian  pipes,  and  sherbet.  The 
Pasha  very  civilly  offered  to  give  our  travelling  party 
letters  to  his  brother,  the  Pasha  of  Bagdad ;  but  this  fa- 
vour was  declined  for  us  by  Captain  Taylor,  on  the  plea, 
that  we  felt  assured  of  a  kind  reception.  In  half  an 
hour,  the  attendants  brough  us  rose-water,  and  some 
chafing  dishes  containing  incense  for  perfuming  the 
beard,  a  ceremony,  which  was  performed  by  every 
downy  cheeked  midshipman  of  the  Alligator. 

During  this  visit,  we  wore  our  hats,  in  conformity  to 
the  Eastern  custom  of  always  keeping  the  head  covered ; 
and  agreeably  to  an  exclusive  privilege  granted  to  Eng- 
lishmen, we  did  not  take  off  our  shoes.  Without  enter- 
ing into  the  merits  of  that  John  Bull  policy,  which  ex- 
acts from  the  natives  of  the  country  in  which  we  are 
residing  a  conformity  to  our  customs,  instead  of  our 
adopting  theirs,  the  privilege  we  Englishmen  claim,  both 


42  HORSE-RACING  IN  THE  DESERT. 

at  Bagdad  and  at  this  place,  of  keeping  on  our  shoes  in 
the  presence  of  the  Pasha,  certainly  does  appear  a  use- 
less acquisition  of  privilege  on  our  parts,  and  one  that 
cannot  but  be  highly  offensive  to  their  Asiatic  feelings. 

It  is  scarcely  necessary  to  mention,  that  throughout 
the  East,  the  mere  act  of  a  native  entering  a  room  with 
shoes  on,  is  the  greatest  possible  insult,  as  it  is  on  the 
floor  that  all  meals  are  eaten.  Let  us  put  the  question 
to  ourselves.  Would  any  of  us  be  pleased,  if  a  foreign- 
er were  to  claim  the  right  of  coming  from  the  streets,  in 
his  dirty  boots,  and  of  dancing  up  and  down  our  dinner- 
table? 

March  1. — We  went  this  afternoon  into  the  Desert  to 
a  horse-race:  an  amusement,  of  which  the  natives  of 
Bussorah  are  as  fond  as  our  own  countrymen ;  though  I 
fear,  if  an  English  jockey  had  been  here,  he  would  have 
thought  the  profession  disgraced  by  the  exhibition.  For 
our  own  parts,  we  were  more  amused,  than  if  the  busi- 
ness had  been  conducted  according  to  the  strictest  rules 
of  the  turf.  The  spot  selected  was  the  Great  Desert, 
which  commences  immediately  outside  the  town;  a  cir- 
cular furrow  of  two  miles  marked  the  course ;  and  the 
stakes  consisted  of  a  small  subscription  raised  from 
amongst  our  European  party.  The  five  candidates  who 
started  for  the  prize,  were  well  suited  to  the  general 
character  of  the  scene.  Instead  of  being  decked  in  all 
the  colours  of  the  rainbow,  a  coarse  loose  shirt  comprised 
all  the  clothing  of  the  Arab  jockey:  and  the  powerful 
bit  of  the  country  was  the  only  article  of  equipment  of 
the  horse  he  bestrode.  Thus  simply  accoutred,  at  a  sig- 
nal given,  these  half-naked  savages  set  off  at  full  speed, 
each  giving  a  shout  to  animate  his  horse.  They  arrived 
like  a  team  at  the  goal;  the  prize  was  adjudged  to  an 
Ethiopian  slave.  The  scene  was  highly  animated  and 
interesting.,  though  we  had  neither  splendid  equipages* 


MORSE-RACING  IN  THE  DESERT*  43 

nor  fair  ladies  to  grace  our  sports;  but  what  we  lost 
in  splendour  and  beauty,  we  gained  in  novelty  ;  and 
though,  when  occasionally  gazing  on  some  wearer  of 
gaudy  silks,  the  bright  smile  of  woman  did  not  repay 
our  curiosity,  we  almost  forgot  the  disappointment  in  be- 
holding the  animated  countenance  of  a  turbaned  Turk, 
who,  bearded  to  the  eyes,  would  be  seen  scampering  past 
us  with  jereed  in  hand,  to  challenge  a  comrade  to  the 
contest;  and  spurred  on  by  his  favourite  amusement, 
would  lay  aside  the  gravity  of  the  divan,  in  the  all  ex- 
hilarating air  of  the  Desert. 

Such  an  exhibition  was  amusingly  set  off  by  the  per- 
formances of  our  shipmates.  Every  youngster  of  the 
Alligator  had  provided  himself  with  a  horse,  and,  as 
much  at  home  here  as  if  on  Southampton  Downs,  was  to 
be  seen  scampering  across  the  Desert  on  Arabs,  scarcely 
broke.  One  of  these,  zealous  for  the  honour  of  his 
cloth,  challenged  me  to  ride  a  race  with  him :  off  we 
both  set  in  gallant  style,  but  in  his  anxiety  to  get  to 
windward  of  u  the  soldier  officer,"  he  ran  foul  of  a  com- 
rade, whom  he  capsized,  as  well  as  himself,  at  the  same 
moment ;  the  palm  was  consequently  adjudged  to  me, 
though  my  rival  competitor  swore  "  he  should  certainly 
have  won,  if  the  lubber  had  not  come  athwart  his 
hawse  !" 

March  2. — The  Pasha  hearing  of  the  feat  of  the  suc- 
cessful horse  of  yesterday,  sent  for  it  this  morning  to  his 
own  stable ;  and  it  was  only  on  the  representation  of 
Captain  Taylor  that  he  was  induced  to  forego  his  claim. 

March  3. — Mr.  Taylor,  the  officers  of  the  Alligator, 
and  our  travelling  party,  went  this  afternoon  to  the 
house  of  an  Armenian,  named  Parsigh  (the  head  drago- 
man to  the  British  factory,)  for  the  purpose  of  being 
present  at  the  ceremony  of  his  betrothment  to  an  Ar- 


44  AN    ARMENIAN    BETROTIIMENT. 

menian  lady,  whom  he  had  never  seen,  now  resident  at 
Bushire. 

We  were  admitted  into  a  long  narrow  apartment,  fit- 
ted up  in  the  Turkish   style,  where  we  found,  seated 
with  their  backs  to  the  wall,  fifty  Armenian  ladies,  who 
rose  on  our  approach.     At  the  top  of  the  room  was  the 
nishaun,  or  betrothing  present,  consisting  of  a  bottle  of 
rose-water,  sugar-candy,  and  oranges  covered  with  gold- 
leaf;  over  the  nishaun  were  thrown  two  or  three  em- 
broidered scarfs.     The   Armenian  bishop,  accompanied 
by  two  priests,  now  entered  the  room,  carrying  wax- 
candles,   ornamented   with   gold-leaf.     Their  dress  was 
simple  and  uniform,    being   merely  loose   black   robes, 
clasped  in  front  with  a  small  silver  crucifix.      Their 
heads  were  shaved,  with   the  exception  of  the  crown, 
thus  completely  reversing  the  mode  of  tonsure  practised 
by  the  Roman  Catholic  clergy.      An  officiating  priest 
brought  in  a  glass  of  wine,  over  which  the  bishop  waved 
the  crucifix,  and  dropped  in  a  diamond  ring.     Chapters 
from  the  Old  and  New  Testament  were  then  chanted  by 
the  bishop  and  priests. 

This  ceremony  of  betrothing  only  takes  place  when 
the  parties  are  at  a  distance  from  each  other.  In  this 
instance,  the  nishaun  and  ring  are  to  be  forwarded  to 
the  betrothed  at  Bashin.  When  the  ceremony  was  over, 
we  retired  to  another  room  to  dine.  Among  a  great 
variety  of  dishes,  I  recognized  many  of  those  mentioned 
in  the  Arabian  Nights  in  the  imaginary  feast  of  Hindbad 
the  Porter,  with  the  merry  Barmecide  Lord. 

After  dinner  one  of  our  party  proposed  the  health  of 
the  bride  elect,  which  was  drank  with  "  three  times 
three,"  to  the  astonishment  of  our  host,  who  did  not 
know  what  to  make  of  our  noisy  civilities ;  but  as  we 
were  rulers  of  the  feast  we  had  it  all  our  own  way,  and 


A  PAS  DE  DEUX.  45 

amused  ourselvTes  with  joking  the  future  bridegroom  on 
the  fertile  subject  of  matrimony.  In  this,  we  were  join- 
ed by  his  relations,  while  the  subject  of  our  merriment 
sate  blushing  and  smiling  with  all  becoming  modesty.  In 
the  course  of  the  evening,  one  of  the  relations  sang  a 
song,  with  a  loud  nasal  twang,  to  our  national  air  of 
"  God  Save  the  King." 

In  the  midst  of  this  revelry,  attracted  by  the  sounds 
of  music,  we  stole  on  to  a  terrace  where  we  found  all  the 
ladies  assembled.  They  were  dancing  in  a  circle  with  a 
slow  measured  step,  with  their  little  fingers  linked  to- 
gether. This  dance  is  the  Romaic,  which  I  have  myself 
frequently  danced  in  the  Ionian  Islands,  and  which  is  ac- 
curately described  by  Lord  Byron  : — 

**  A  groupe  of  Grecian  girls, 
The  first  and  tallest  her  white  kerchief  waving, 
Were  strung  together  like  a  row  of  pearls, 
Linked  hand  in  hand  and  dancing." 

Two  very  pretty  girls,  with  their  hair  neatly  plaited 
down  their  backs,  then  danced  a  pas  de  deux.  The 
step,  though  slow,  was  not  deficient  in  grace.  The 
females  that  we  saw  were  handsome.  Their  hair,  from 
the  straggling  specimens  which  escaped  from  out  the 
handkerchief,  appeared  to  be  generally  of  a  beautiful 
auburn.  Of  their  figures  no  correct  opinion  could  be 
formed,  from  the  disadvantageous  shape  of  a  dress  con- 
sisting of  loose  quilted  robes,  open  in  the  front  so  as  to 
leave  the  chest  quite  exposed,  and  a  large  scarf  tied  neg- 
ligently about  the  hips. 

As  the  evening  advanced,  we  Europeans  took  share  in 
the  performance  in  a  merry  reel,  to  the  music  of  the 
drum  and  fife  of  the  marines.  After  this,  we  witnessed 
the  curious  ceremony  of  a  Turk  and  a  Jew  dancing  to- 
gether to  celebrate  the  betrothment  of  a  Christian — a 

6 


46       A  DANCE  BY  A  JEW  AND  A  TURK. 

circumstance  remarkable  in  a  country  so  distinguished 
for  religious  rancour  to  those  of  a  different  persuasion. 
The  exhibition  was  truly  pantomimic  and  highly  enter- 
taining:, as  it  served  to  contrast  the  bustling  activity  of 
the  European  with  the  steady  demeanour  of  the  Asiatic. 
The  dance  was  meant  to  represent  a  fight  for  a  fair  lady. 
It  commenced  with  divers  gliding  movements,  and  at  last 
ended  in  an  open-handed  sparring  match,  in  which  both 
turbans  were  discomposed:  not  so  the  gravity  of  the 
wearers,  who  during  the  dance,  which  lasted  upwards  of 
a  quarter  of  an  hour,  moved  not  a  muscle  of  their  fea- 
tures. At  a  late  hour  we  retired  to  rest,  attended  by  a 
numerous  host  of  servants  carrying  linen  lanterns,  which, 
reflecting  on  the  mingled  group  of  Europeans  and  Asi- 
atics, had  a  very  picturesque  appearance ;  so,  not  hav- 
ing, like  the  inhabitants,  the  fear  of  a  halter  before  our 
eyes,  for  keeping  late  hours,  we  placed  the  drummer  and 
fifer  in  the  van,  and  returned  to  the  Factory  singing  and 
dancing  all  the  way,  our  sounds  of  merriment  breaking 
in  upon  the  dead  silence  of  the  streets. 


TOMB  OF  ALI  THE  BARMECIDE.  47 


CHAPTER  IV. 

Ancient  Ruins — Tombs  of  Ali,  the  Barmecide,  and  of  Zobeir,  an 
Arab  Chief — Town  of  Zobeir — Sheikh  of  Dirhemmia — City  of 
Bussorah — Filth  of  the  Streets — Old  and  New  Bazaars — Cof- 
fee-houses— Trade — Population — Productions — Preparations  for 
departure — Guard  of  Arabs — Aboo  Nasir — Entertainment  on 
board  the  Alligator. 

March  5. — Mr.  Hamilton,  two  officers  of  the  Alliga- 
tor, and  myself,  went  to  Zobeir,  a  town  eight  miles  dis- 
tant, to  examine  some  ruins  in  the  neighbourhood,  sup- 
posed, by  some,  to  be  those  of  the  ancient  city  of  Bus- 
sorah. Within  two  miles  of  Zobeir,  the  remains  of  a 
wall  can  be  traced ;  and  here  commence  the  ruins,  which 
are  very  extensive.  Large  fragments  of  stone  pillars  lie 
scattered  in  every  direction ;  many  of  these  remaining  in 
the  original  position,  show  that  the  former  buildings 
were  spacious,  and  supported  by  colonnades.  About  a 
mile  west  of  Zobeir,  the  remains  of  buildings  are  much 
more,  indicative  of  former  splendour*  than  elsewhere. 
Our  guides  informed  us,  that  this  quarter  was  formerly 
inhabited  by  the  wealthy  Barmecides,  of  whom  mention 
is  made  in  the  Arabian  Nights.  This  noble  family  was 
of  Persian  extraction,  but  settling  afterwards  in  the  ci- 
ties of  Bagdad  and  Bussorah,  its  members  enjoyed,  un- 
der several  successive  Caliphs,  the  highest  honours  of 
the  state.  The  portion  of  a  handsome  arch,  containing 
a  Cufic  inscription,  was  pointed  out  to  us,  as  the  Jamee 
Ali  Barmekee,  the  tomb  of  AH  the  Barmecide.  This 
personage  was  the  uncle  of  our  old  acquaintance,  the 


48  TOMB  OF  ZOBEIR. TOWN  OF  ZOBEIR. 

Vizier  GiafFer,  of  i\rabian  Nights'  celebrity.  Half  a 
mile  to  the  west  of  this  tomb,  is  a  small  mosque,  covered 
with  glazed  tiles,  containing  the  tomb  of  Zobeir,  an 
Arab  chief,  from  whom  the  neighbouring  town  derives 
its  name.  This  chieftain  was  one  of  the  earliest  follow- 
ers of  Mahomet,  and  was  slain  at  the  battle  of  the  Ca- 
mel,* which  was  fought  near  this  place ;  an  action  me- 
morable in  the  Mahometan  annals,  as  the  first  in  which 
the  arms  of  the  "  faithful "  were  stained  with  civil 
blood. 

It  would  be  difficult  to  assign  a  correct  date  to  these 
ruins.  D'Anville  supposes  them  to  belong  to  the  city  of 
the  Orchaeni,  a  sect  of  Chaldean  astronomers  and  mathe- 
maticians. Niebuhr,  and  other  travellers,  say  they  are 
those  of  ancient  Bussorah;  but  then  the  time  in  which 
that  city  was  founded,  has  never  been  correctly  defined. 
By  some,  we  are  assured  that  Bussorah  owed  its  exist- 
ence to  Omar,  in  the  14th  year  of  the  Hegira,  and  635th 
of  the  Christian  era ;  and  by  others  it  is  attributed  to  the 
Roman  Emperor  Trajan,  who  reigned  hve  hundred  years 
previous  to  the  former  date. 

We  were  met  within  a  mile  of  Zobeir  by  Hajee  Yu- 
suf,  one  of  the  principal  inhabitants,  who,  with  two  or 
three  horsemen,  paid  us  the  compliment  of  preceding  us 
into  the  town.  On  arriving  at  the  Hajee's  house,  we 
alighted  from  our  horses,  and  partook  of  a  plentiful  Arab 
breakfast. 

Zobeir  has  regular  streets,  and  an  air  of  cleanliness 
that  must  strike  every  one  coming  from  the  stinking  city 
of  Bussorah.  It  was  built  a  century  ago,  by  some  Arabs, 
who  fortified  themselves  in  it,  against  the  attacks  of  that 
desperate  gang  of  Mahometan  dissenters — the  Wahhab- 
bees,  so  called  from  their  leader  Abdool  Wahheb. 

*  A.  D.  655. 


SHEIKH  OF  DIRHEMMIA. BUSSORAH.  49 

After  breakfast,  we  received  a  visit  from  the  Sheikh, 
or  Chief  of  Dirhemmia,  who  begged  us  to  pay  him  a 
visit.  His  residence  was  of  the  general  appearance  of 
an  Arab  chieftain's.  It  was  enclosed  within  a  mud  fort, 
and  considering  its  situation  id  a  sandy  desert,  certainly 
did  great  credit  to  the  projector.  The  name  Dirhem- 
mia is  derived  from  Dirhem,  a  small  coin,  signifying  the 
expense  the  building  occasioned.  In  taking  us  round 
the  premises,  it  was  easy  to  see  that  our  host  expected 
unqualified  approbation  of  every  thing  he  showed  us. 
That  upon  which  he  seemed  most  to  pride  himself,  were 
his  large  reservoirs  of  water,  a  characteristic  of  the 
value  the  desert  Arab  attaches  to  this  first  necessary  of 
life.  He  next  took  us  round  the  fortifications,  which, 
as  he  seemed  to  appeal  to  us  for  an  opinion,  we  pro- 
nounced to  be  tajoob,  (wonderful  5)  though  we  would 
scarcely  have  trusted  our  backs  against  the  battlements. 

The  city  of  Bussorah  is  enclosed  within  a  wall,  eight 
miles  in  circumference.  Of  this  space,  the  greatest  por- 
tion is  laid  out  in  gardens  and  plantations  of  date  trees. 
It  is  traversed  throughout  by  numerous  canals,  supplied 
by  the  Euphrates,  into  which  they  empty  themselves  at 
every  turn  of  tide.  The  abundance  of  water,  besides 
irrigating  the  gardens,  which  it  does  effectually,  might 
also  be  the  means  of  keeping  the  town  clean  were  there 
not  in  the  inhabitants  an  innate  love  of  filth.  Bussorah 
is  the  dirtiest  town  even  in  the  Turkish  dominions. 
The  streets,  which  are  narrow  and  irregular,  are  almost 
insupportable  from  the  stench.  Some  houses  are  built 
of  kiln-burnt  bricks,  but  the  greater  number  are  of  mud. 
From  these,  project  several  long  sprouts  made  of  the 
body  of  the  date  tree,  which  convey  filth  of  every  descrip- 
tion into  the  streets,  so  that  a  passenger  is  in  frequent 
danger  of  an  Edinburgh  salutation,  without  the  friendly 
caution  of  Garde?  loo. 


50         FILTH   OF   THE    STREETS. — COFFEE-HOUSES. 

The  old  bazaar  is  extremely  mean.  Rafters  are  laid 
across  the  top,  and  covered  with  ragged  mats,  which 
prove  but  a  poor  protection  against  the  heat  of  the  sun. 
Throughout  the  bazaar  we  observed  numerous  coffee- 
houses ;  they  are  spacious,  unfurnished  apartments,  with 
benches  of  masonry  built  round  the  walls,  and  raised 
about  three  feet  from  the  ground.  On  these  are  placed 
mats;  at  the  bar  are  ranged  numerous  coffee-pots,  and 
pipes  of  different  descriptions.  It  is  customary  for 
every  smoker  to  bring  his  own  tobacco.  These  houses 
were  principally  filled  by  Janizaries,  who  were  puffing 
clouds  from  their  pipes  in  true  Turkish  taciturnity. 

The  principal  trade  is  with  our  Indian  possessions, 
which,  with  the  exception  of  a  few  English  ships,  is  con- 
fined to  Arabian  vessels.  The  return  for  the  articles  with 
which  we  furnished  them,  are  pearls,  horses,  copper, 
dates,  and  raw  silk.  The  population  is  estimated  at  six- 
ty thousand,  principally  Arabs,  Turks  and  Armenians ; 
but  I  have  no  doubt,  that  on  a  close  inquiry,  there  would 
be  found  natives  of  every  country  in  Asia.  Dates  are 
the  principal  production  here ;  there  are,  besides,  quan- 
tities of  rice,  wheat,  barley,  and  abundance  of  fruits  and 
vegetables. 

March  6. — The  ordinary  mode  of  proceeding  to  Bag- 
dad by  water,  is  to  secure  a  passage  on  board  one  of  a 
fleet  of  boats,  which  start  at  this  season  of  the  year, 
whenever  their  numbers  are  sufficient  to  enable  them  to 
resist  the  attacks  of  the  lawless  tribes  of  wandering 
Arabs,  which  infest  the  banks  of  the  river.  On  our  ar- 
rival at  Bussorah,  several  of  these  vessels  had  taken  in 
their  cargo,  and  were  only  waiting  for  others  to  join 
them,  to  proceed  on  their  voyage.  We  had  originally 
intended  to  have  availed  ourselves  of  this  opportunity; 
but  our  patience  being  quite  exhausted  by  their  depar- 
ture being  protracted  from  day  to  day,  we  adopted  the 


PREPARATIONS  POR  DEPARTURE.        51 

more  expeditious  mode  of  procuring  a  boat  for  our  entire 
use,   and   proceeding  alone.     This  was  a  description  of 
vessel  called  a  Bughalow.     It  was  sixty  feet  long,  four- 
teen wide  at  the  broadest  part,  and  much  peaked  at  the 
fore  ;   the  cabin  was   ten    feet   square,    and   four  high. 
There  was  one  mast,  with  a  lateen  sail,  which  was  used 
for  crossing  the  river ;  for  the  wind  blowing  mostly  from 
the  northward,  we  could  seldom  use  it  for  sailing.     As 
the  voyage  was  principally  performed   by  tracking,   to 
ensure  expedition  we  engaged  a  double  set  of  boatmen, 
whose  business  it  was  to  track,  or  tow  the  boat,  as  horses 
do  in  canals  in  England.     Our  agreement  was,  that  they 
should  proceed  night  and  day ;  and,  as  a  defence  against 
the  attacks  of  the  wandering   banditti,  we  engaged  a 
guard  of  twenty  of  the  Zobeir  Arabs.     Besides  the  cap- 
tain of  the  boat,   and  the  commander  of  the  guard,  we 
had  a  superintendent  of  the  whole   establishment,  by 
name  Aboo  Nasir,  a  good-natured,  drunken  vagabond, 
whose  gratitude  for  a  life,   thrice  spared  by  British  in- 
fluence from  the  sentence  of  three  successive  Pashas,  we 
deemed  a  sufficient  guarantee  for  his  fidelity  to  us,  and 
in  no  instance  did  we  find   our  confidence   misplaced. 
This  man  was  a  stout,  tall,  elderly  Arab,  on  whose  faGe, 
the  sun  and  strong  liquor  seemed  to  have  been  contend- 
ing for  many  a  year  which  could  give  it  the  strongest 
tinge  of  scarlet,  for  Aboo  Nasir  was  one  who  had  long 
forsworn  "  thin  potations. " 

The  expense  of  our  whole  establishment,  including 
fees  to  the  different  powerful  sheikhs,  through  whose 
countries  we  were  to  pass,  amounted  to  sixteen  hundred 
and  ninety  piastres. 

When  there  was  sufficient  water  in  the  canal,  our  boat 
was  moored  alongside  of  the  British  factory,  where  we 
embarked  our  baggage,  and  a  fortnight's  stock  of  provi- 
sions and  necessaries,  consisting  of    tea,  coffee,  sugar, 


52     ENTERTAINMENT   ON    BOARD    THE    ALLIGATOR. 

spices,  dates,  biscuits,  rice,  tobacco,  and  a  plentiful  sup- 
ply of  spirits.  We  had  had  some  difficulty  in  procuring 
servants,  but  at  last  succeeded  in  engaging  three :  an  In- 
dian Syyud,  who  had  officiated  while  on  board  the  Alli- 
gator, as  cook  to  Futteh  Ali  Khan,  continued  with  us  in 
the  same  capacity;  the  other  two  were,  a  Persian,  who 
had  made  the  pilgrimage  to  Mecca,  and  a  half-starved 
Ethiopian.  At  three  o'clock,  the  gates  of  the  British 
factory  were  opened,  and  first  discovered  to  us  our  guard 
of  Arabs;  who,  armed  with  swords,  shields,  and  mus- 
kets, scrambled  on  board,  singing  and  dancing  to  the 
rude  music  of  the  fife  and  tamtam, — presenting  as  wild 
an  appearance  as  any  of  those  savages  against  whom  they 
were  engaged  to  protect  us. 

It  had  been  our  intention  to  have  started  the  same 
evening,  but  we  remained  till  the  following  night,  to  bid 
karewell  to  our  kind  friend  Captain  Alexander,  who  was 
to  give  an  entertainment  to  Captain  Taylor  and  some  Ar- 
menian ladies.  After  seeing  our  boat  safely  moored  at 
the  mouth  of  the  creek,  we  went  on  board  the  Alligator, 
and  dined  with  the  gun-room  officers. 

March  7. — The  quarter-deck  of  the  Alligator  was 
tastefully  fitted  up  with  flags  for  the  reception  of  the 
guests,  who  came  on  board  at  five  in  the  afternoon. 
Captain  Alexander,  thinking  it  would  gratify  the  curio- 
sity of  the  Armenian  ladies,  showed  them  every  part  of 
the  ship,  which  was  in  most  admirable  order;  but  we 
could  not  discover  whether  they  were  pleased  or  other- 
wise, for  they  went  through  the  business  like  victims, 
and  looked  at  every  thing  that  was  showu  them,  with 
the  most  immoveable  gravity.  I  handed  to  dinner  a 
pretty  looking  girl,  from  whom  I  tried  in  vain  to  extract 
an  answer  to  any  of  my  questions.  Amongst  the  party 
was  a  handsome  girl,  a  native  of  Ispahan ;  whence  her 
parents  had  fled  with  her  a  few  months  back.     They  had 


ENTERTAINMENT  ON  BOARD  THE  ALLIGATOR.        53 

come  to  Bussorah  for  British  protection,  to  save  her  from 
being  immured  in  a  Mussulman  harem.  From  living 
among  Mussulmen,  the  Armenians  have  in  many  respects 
adopted  their  customs,  and  amongst  others,  that  of  the  se- 
clusion of  women  in  their  own  families,  though  they  allow 
them  to  go  abroad.  The  party  who  visited  the  Alliga- 
tor consisted  entirely  of  females,  unaccompanied  by  any 
male  relation,  and  we  were  informed  that  the  two  sexes 
are  never  seen  together  in  public. 


54         TAKE  LEAVE  OF  OUR  SHIPMATES, 


CHAPTER  V. 

We  take  leave  of  our  Shipmates — And  proceed  on  our  Voyage— 
Our  Boatmen  and  Guard — Abstinence  from  Wine-— Koorna — 
The  River  Tigris— II  Jezeerah,  the  reputed  site  of  Paradise — 
Appearance  of  the  Country — Our  first  interview  with  the  Desert 
Arabs — Arab  Village — Conduct  of  our  Guard — Goomru — Tri- 
bute— Extortion— Tomb  of  the  Prophet  Ezra — Abundance  of 
Game — Kill  a  brace  of  Partridges  in  the  Garden  of  Eden — 
Curious  Scene — Behaviour  and  Appearance  of  the  Female 
Arabs  of  the  Desert. 

At  ten  o'clock  we  left  the  ship,  and  went  on  board 
our  boat,  after  taking  an  affectionate  leave  of  our  ship- 
mates ;  to  many  of  whom,  I  grieve  to  say,  we  bade  an 
eternal  adieu.  Since  my  arrival  in  England,  I  have  re- 
ceived the  afflicting  intelligence  that  our  excellent  host, 
Captain  Alexander,  and  five  of  his  officers,  have  fallen 
victims  to  the  Indian  climate. 

March  8. — We  were  nearly  starved  with  cold  last 
night,  our  cabin  was  shut  in  on  two  sides  by  mats  only, 
which  were  imperfectly  closed  up,  and  a  strong  north- 
west wind  blowing,  we  could  not  keep  ourselves  warm 
with  all  the  bed-clothes  we  could  procure.  We  halted 
three  hours  during  the  night,  and  proceeded  again  at 
daybreak.  Flocks  of  cattle  and  sheep  were  every  where 
grazing  on  the  banks,  and  we  saw  some  very  fine  horses 
loose,  but  all  having  clothing. 

The  natives  of  no  two  countries  could  form  a  stronger 
contrast  to  each  other  in  appearance,  than  our  Arab 
guard  and  our  Arab  boatmen,  the  former  (with  the  ex- 
ception of  two  tall  negroes)  were  small  thin  young  men, 


ABSTINENCE  FROM  WINE.  55 

about  five  feet  five  inches  in  height,  with  sallow  com- 
plexions and  Indian  features ;  while  the  latter  were  as 
hardy  and  muscular-looking  fellows  as  I  ever  saw.  A 
loose  brown  shirt,  of  the  coarseness  of  sackcloth,  was 
the  only  covering  of  the  latter.  This,  whenever  labour 
required  it,  was  thrown  aside,  and  discovered  forms  most 
admirably  adapted  to  their  laborious  avocations ;  indeed, 
any  of  the  boatmen  would  have  made  an  excellent  model 
for  a  Hercules ;  and  one  in  particular,  with  uncombed 
hair  and  shaggy  beard,  struck  us  all  with  the  remarkable 
resemblance  he  bore  to  the  statues  of  that  deity. 

In  the  evening  we  sate  down  cross-legged,  to  our  first 
meal  as  fellow-travellers — a  well  greased  pilau.  Though 
amply  provided  with  spirits,  and  all  professing  due  alle- 
giance to  the  bottle,  we  tried  to  content  ourselves  with 
water;  an  experiment  which  we  found  to  answer  so  well 
that,  while  actually  on  the  road,  wre  entirely  abstained 
from  drinking  any  thing  else.  To  this  circumstance  we 
alone  attribute  our  health  during  our  long  and  fatiguing 
journey,  and  we  earnestly  recommend  the  substitution  of 
the  pure  element  for  fermented  liquors  to  the  serious 
consideration  of  all,  but  more  particularly  to  Oriental 
travellers.  It  is,  however,  to  be  understood,  that  when- 
ever the  traveller  halts  for  a  few  days,  he  will,  as  we  al- 
ways did,  make  up  for  the  abstinence  during  the  march. 

March  9. — We  passed  this  morning  a  Turkish  three- 
decker  at  anchor,  commanded  by  the  Captain  Pacha.  It 
was  a  rotten  hulk,  seventy  years  old,  with  seven  men  on 
board,  though  the  Government  was  charged  with  the  ex- 
pense of  the  full  equipment. 

At  nine,  we  arrived  off  the  town  of  Koorna,  the  an- 
cient Apamea,  a  city  built  by  Seleucus  Nicator,  in  hon- 
our of  his  wife  Apamea.  Koorna  is  situate  at  the 
extremity  of  a  narrow  slip  of  land,  formed  by  the  con- 
fluence of  the  Euphrates  and  Tigris.      We  saw  here 


56  PASSAGE  UP  THE  TIGRIS. 

several  boats,  waiting  to  be  joined  by  others  from  Bus- 
sorah,  as  the  navigation  beyond  is  unsafe  for  single  boats, 
owing  to  the  lawless  tribes  that  infest  the  banks.  We 
did  not  land  at  the  town,  as  we  wished,  because  our 
Arabs  were  at  enmity  with  those  on  shore ;  we  therefore 
kept  the  opposite  bank,  and  our  guards,  with  a  view 
perhaps  to  demonstrate  their  force,  assembled  at  the 
head  of  the  boat,  struck  up  their  music,  and  forming 
themselves  into  a  circle,  began  singing,  dancing,  and 
striking  each  others'  shields  with  their  drawn  swords. 
Boats,  in  general,  pay  duty  here,  but  we  passed  unmo- 
lested. 

Leaving  the  Euphrates  to  the  west,  we  proceeded  up 
the  Tigris,  where  we  soon  found  ourselves  in  a  current 
running  between  six  and  seven  knots  an  hour,  which  ful- 
ly proved  to  us  the  appropriate  name  of  Teer  (arrow,) 
which  the  ancient  Persians  gave  to  this  river  on  account 
ef  the  rapidity  of  its  course. 

Two  miles  above  Koorna,  the  plantations  of  date  trees, 
which  had  hitherto  covered  the  banks,  ceased,  and  the 
country  on  both  sides  was  overflowed.  We  landed  in 
the  afternoon  on  the  west  bank  to  shoot,  and  walked  sev- 
eral miles ;  the  ground  was  very  wet,  and  the  state  of 
the  vegetation  indicated  little  fertility.  This  destitute 
place,  which  is  called  II  Jezeerah  (The  Island,)  is  gener- 
ally held  to  be  the  seat  of  Paradise.  If  such  be  the  case, 
it  certainly  is  not  what  the  garden  of  our  first  parents  is 
described  to  have  been.  Only  a  few  shrubs  have  been 
visible  since  we  left  the  vicinity  of  Koorna.  The  whole 
country  is  a  dead  flat;  and  so  much  flooded  in  many 
parts,  that  we  could  hardly  pass  through  it.  The  few- 
dry  patches  of  soil  were  covered  with  salt. 

If  the  present  barren  appearance  of  this  spot  be  the 
only  reason  for  rejecting  it  as  the  site  of  Paradise,  the 
same  objection  would  apply  to  the  surrounding  district, 


THE  SITE  OF  PARADISE.  57 

which,  though  now  a  sandy  desert,  has  been  celebrated 
for  the  richness  of  its  soil.  Pliny  calls  it  the  most  fertile 
of  the  East,  {solum  Orientis  fertilissimwn,)  and  who 
does  not  remember  the  vivid  descriptions,  in  the  Arabi- 
an Nights,  of  the  delightful  gardens  of  Bagdad  and  Bal- 
sora? 

Half  an  hour  before  sunset  we  arrived  at  a  village  of 
wandering  Arabs.  One  of  the  men,  a  wild-looking  sa- 
vage, on  seeing  us  approach,  ran  forwards  in  a  frantic 
manner,  and  throwing  down  his  turban  at  our  feet, 
fiercely  demanded  Buxis  (a  present.)  He  was  made  to 
replace  his  turban,  but  continued  screaming  as  if  dis- 
tracted. This  fellow's  noise,  and  our  appearance,  soon 
collected  a  crowd  of  men,  women,  and  children;  the 
greater  number  had  evidently  never  seen  a  European 
before.  The  men  advanced  close  to  us  with  aspects  far 
from  friendly.  The  commander  of  our  guard  expressed 
a  wish  that  we  should  not  enter  the  village  ;  but  so  ar- 
dent was  our  curiosity  in  this  our  first  interview  with 
the  Arabs  of  the  Desert,  that  we  disregarded  his  advice. 
Seeing  us  resolved,  he  let  us  have  our  own  way ;  but 
would  not  allow  any  of  the  people  to  approach,  being 
doubtful  of  their  intentions  towards  us. 

The  village  was  a  collection  of  about  fifty  mat  huts, 
with  pent  roofs,  from  thirty  to  sixty  feet  long.  The 
frame  of  the  huts  somewhat  resembled  the  ribs  of  a  ship 
inverted.  It  was  formed  of  bundles  of  reeds  tied  to- 
gether ;  the  mat  covering  was  of  the  leaves  of  the  date 
tree.  An  old  Mussulman  tomb  stands  on  a  mound  at  the 
south  end  of  the  village,  and  is  the  only  building  in 
which  any  other  material  than  reed  and  date-leaves  have 
been  employed. 

When  we  reached  the  banks  of  the  river,  we  had  to 
wait  for  our  boat,  which  was  tracking  round  a  headland, 
and  was  still  at  some  distance  from  us  :  so  we  stood  with 


5S  ARAB    VILLAGE. 

our  backs  to  the  water  to  prevent  any  attack  from  the 
rear.  In  the  mean  time,  crowds  of  the  inhabitants 
continued  to  press  forward.  As  their  numbers  were 
greatly  superior  to  ours,  and  their  demeanour  rather 
equivocal,  we  tried  by  our  manners  to  show  as  little  dis- 
trust of  them  as  possible ;  not  so,  our  guards,  who,  from 
being  of  the  same  profession  as  these  marauders,  treated 
them  with  less  ceremony,  and  stood  by  us  the  whole  time 
with  their  guns  loaded  and  cocked,  their  fingers  on  the 
triggers,  and  the  muzzles  presented  towards  the  crowd. 
Some  of  the  Arabs  occasionally  came  forward  to  look  at 
our  lire-arms,  particularly  our  double-barrelled  guns, 
but  whenever  they  attempted  to  touch  them,  were  al- 
ways repulsed  by  our  guard,  who  kept  them  at  a  dis- 
tance. In  the  midst  of  this  curious  interview,  the 
sheikh,  or  chief  of  the  village,  a  venerable-looking  old 
man  with  a  long  white  beard,  came,  accompanied  by  two 
others,  and  brought  us  a  present  of  a  sheep ;  for  which, 
according  to  custom,  we  gave  double  its  value  in  money. 
The  sheikh's  arrival,  and  our  pecuniary  acknowledg- 
ment of  his  present,  seemed  to  be  an  earnest  of  amity, 
as  the  crowd,  by  his  directions,  retired  to  a  small  dis- 
tance, and  formed  themselves  into  a  semicircle — himself 
and  his  two  friends  sitting  about  four  yards  in  front. 

The  scene  to  us  was  of  the  most  lively  interest. 
Around  us,  as  far  as  the  eye  could  reach,  was  a  trackless 
desert;  to  our  left  was  the  rude  village  of  the  wanderers, 
and  immediately  in  the  foreground  were  their  primitive 
inhabitants,  unchanged,  probably,  in  dress,  customs,  or 
language,  since  the  time  of  the  "wild  man"  Ishmael, 
their  ancestor.  There  was  little  variety  in  the  dress  of 
the  men — a  large  brown  shirt  with  open  sleeves,  extend- 
ing to  the  knee,  and  bound  round  the  loins  with  a  lea- 
thern girdle,  formed  their  principal,  and  sometimes  only 
habiliment;    a  few  wore  the  handkerchief  or  turban. 


TRIBUTE.  50 

They  were  armed  either  with  long  spears  or  massive 
clubs.  The  dress  of  the  females  was  also  a  loose  shirt, 
but  not  being  bound  at  the  waist,  it  left  the  person  con- 
siderably exposed.  Some  of  the  women  had  rings  in 
their  noses,  others  wore,  necklaces  of  silver  coins,  and 
the  hair  of  several  of  the  girls  was  divided  into  long 
plaits,  and  completely  studded  with  coins:  they  were 
all  more  or  less  tattooed  on  the  face,  hands,  and  feet,  and 
some  were  marked  on  the  ancles  with  punctures  resem- 
bling the  clock  of  a  stocking. 

This  village  is  called  Goomruk,  and  its  inhabitants  are 
notorious  robbers;  they  are  subject  to  the  sheikh  of 
Montefeikh.  It  is  customary  to  exact  a  stipulated  tri- 
bute from  every  boat  that  passes;  this,  after  some  con- 
versation, we  paid,  and  (our  people  not  wishing  to  stay) 
we  proceeded  on  our  voyage,  having  much  better  luck 
than  a  boat  we  left  here,  with  horses  for  the  Pasha  of 
Basra,  which,  not  being  strong  enough  to  resist  the  de- 
mand, was  detained  for  an  additional  exaction.  Five 
boats  which  had  left  Bussorah  a  week  before  us,  had  pro- 
ceeded that  morning  on  their  voyage  to  Bagdad. 

We  continued  our  voyage  while  moonlight  lasted,  and 
then  anchored  till  day-break.  At  nine  in  the  evening 
we  passed  an  Arab  encampment,  pitched  so  close  to 
the  bank  that  our  track- rope  damaged  several  of  the 
tents.  This  occasioned  an  uproar  from  a  crowd  of  men, 
women,  children,  and  dogs.  They  all  rushed  out  to- 
gether to  discover  the  cause  of  the  disturbance.  On  our 
guard's  calling  out  Abdillah,  their  chief's  name,  we 
were  welcomed  from  the  shore,  as  a  friendly  tribe,  with 
an  assurance  that  they  would  send  off  milk,  butter,  and 
whatever  else  their  camp  could  furnish. 

March  10. — We  now  came  in  sight  of  the  Hamerine 
Mountains,  to  the  north-east.  At  a  little  before  day- 
light, we  passed  a  building,  called  II  Azer,  (Ezra,)  re- 


60        THE  TOMB  OF  THE  PROPHET  EZRA. 

ported  by  tradition  to  be  tbe  tomb  of  tbat  prophet.  It 
is  surmounted  by  a  large  dome  covered  with  glazed  tiles 
of  a  turquoise  colour.  The  tomb  is  held  in  high  vene- 
tion  both  by  Jews  and  Mahometans,  and  is  said  to  con- 
tain great  riches — the  offerings  of  pilgrims,  particularly 
those  of  the  former  persuasion. 

We  saw  numerous  encampments  of  the  wandering 
tribes,  many  of  whom  brought  us  milk,  butter,  and 
dates,  and  appeared  to  be  most  kindly  disposed  towards 
ourselves  and  crew. 

Three  of  our  party  went  out  shooting  in  the  Desert, 
and  had  excellent  sport.  Hares,  black  partridges,  and 
snipes,  were  in  the  greatest  abundance.  For  my  own 
share  of  the  game,  I  claim  a  brace  of  partridges,  not  a 
little  proud,  that  nearly  the  first  birds  which  ever  fell 
by  my  gun,  should  have  been  killed  in  the  garden  of 
Eden.  Another  of  our  party  killed  a  hare,  but  the 
boatmen  objected  to  our  having  it  dressed  on  board,  as 
it  had  not  undergone  the  ceremony  of  being  made  hulaul, 
(lawful.)  This  is  performed  by  repeating  a  prayer,  and 
by  cutting  the  throat  of  the  animal,  with  the  neck  pla- 
ced towards  the  tomb  of  Mahomet.  Yet,  according  to 
the  Jewish  law,  from  which  nearly  all  Mahometan  pro- 
hibitions respecting  food  are  taken,  the  hare  is  an  un- 
clean animal,  "  because  he  cheweth  the  cud,  and  divi- 
deth  not  the  hoof."  * 

At  two,  p.  m.,  we  passed  the  residence  of  Sheikh 
Abdillah  Bin  Ali,  an  Arab  chief.  As  we  continued  our 
shooting  excursion  over  a  desert  tract,  unmarked  by  hu- 
man habitation,  we  approached  a  boy  tending  cattle, 
who,  immediately  on  perceiving  us,  set  up  a  loud  cry, 

*  For  the  circumstance  of  the  hare  chewing  the  cud,  vide  Lc- 
vit.  chap,  xi.,  and  also  the  account  given  by  Cowper,  of  his  three 
hares. 


CURIOUS  SCENE.  61 

and  ran  with  all  his  might  to  a  small  mound,  so  gradually 
elevated  as  to  be  scarcely  perceptible  to  us.  In  an  in- 
stant, like  the  dragon's  teeth  which  Cadmus  sowed,  a 
large  body  of  men,  armed  with  spears,  appeared  on  the 
brow  of  the  hill,  and  seemed  to  have  grown  out  from  the 
till  then  unpeopled  spot.  The  men  set  up  a  loud  shout, 
in  which  they  were  joined  by  the  women  and  children, 
who  now  made  their  appearance.  All,  with  one  accord, 
rushed  impetuously  towards  us,  demanding  the  nature  of 
our  intentions ;  they  were  no  sooner  assured  of  our  pa- 
cific disposition,  than  their  clamour  ceased,  and  in  two 
minutes  we  were  on  the  most  friendly  terms. 

A  little  after  this,  several  women,  accompanied  by  a 
host  of  children,  brought  milk,  butter,  and  curds,  for 
sale,  and  followed  the  boat  for  some  time.  One  of  the 
women,  from  whom  we  received  a  vessel  of  milk,  was 
offered  a  quantity  of  dates  in  return,  by  our  servants. 
Not  being  satisfied  with  them,  she  desired  to  have  her 
milk  again.  A  piastre  was  thrown  to  her,  which  after 
taking  up  and  examining,  she  ran  off  to  a  considerable 
distance,  dancing  and  shouting  with  joy.  Another  very 
handsome  young  woman,  with  a  child  in  her  arms,  asked 
for  some  cloth  to  cover  her  infant's  head ;  we  gave  her  a 
silk  handkerchief,  which  so  delighted  her,  that  she  ap- 
proached the  boat,  and,  with  her  right  hand  raised  to 
Heaven,  invoked  every  blessing  on  us  in  return.  The 
handkerchief  appeared  to  excite  great  curiosity,  for  a 
crowd  collected  round  her,  and  it  was  held  up  and  ex- 
amined in  every  direction,  seemingly  with  much  delight. 

The  behaviour  of  these  females  formed  a  striking  con- 
trast with  the  manners  of  the  Indian  women,  and  still 
more  with  those  of  the  veiled  dames  of  Bussorah.  They 
came  to  our  boat  with  the  frankness  of  innocence,  and 
there  was  a  freedom  in  their  manners,  bordering  perhaps 
on  the  masculine ;  nevertheless,  their  fine  features,  and 

8 


62  APPEAllAKCE  OF  ARAB  FEMALES^ 

well-turned  limbs,  presented  a  tout  ensemble  of  beau- 
ty, not  often  surpassed,  perhaps,  even  in  the  bril- 
liant assemblies  of  civilized  life.  True  it  is,  their  com- 
plexions were  of  a  gipsey  brown  ;  but,  even  on  this 
point,  there  may  be  some  who  see 

"  A  Helen's  beauty  in  a  brow  of  Egypt." 

The  woman  who  was  so  grateful  for  the  handkerchief, 
as  she  stood  on  the  edge  of  the  bank,  her  beautiful  eyes 
beaming  with  gratitude,  would  have  been  a  fine  illustra- 
tion of  some  of  the  striking  passages  in  Scott's  forcible 
delineations  of  female  character. 


ABOO  NASIB.  63 


CHAPTER  VI. 

Aboo  Nasir — Village  Jester — Akushee — English  Gentlemen  at- 
tacked by  the  Arabs — Munjummil — Thuyn  II  Swyah — Mohu- 
mud  Abool  Hassan — We  are  challenged  from  the  shore  by  the 
Arabs — Our  Boatmen's  answer — Manner  in  which  the  Arabs 
lie  in  ambush  for  Travellers — Cheshef — Illyauts — Black  Tents 
illustrated  by  Scripture — Mr.  Hamilton  and  I  shoot  at  a 
Lioness — Gurious  flight  of  birds — Barter — Gubur  Jumdeer — 
AH  Shurgee — Animals  like  Bats — Filifileh  and  Sooroot,  an  an- 
cient ruin — Encampment  of  Arab  Banditti — Aboo  Nasir's  an- 
swer to  their  inquiries — Muddukil-Hujauje — Koote— Horses 
procurable  from  hence  to  Bagdad — Description  of  the  village — 
Jubui  Afeez,  a  ruin— Arab  Greyhounds — A  Dandy  of  the 
Desert — Mr.  Hamilton  proceeds  by  land  to  Bagdad — Boats 
laden  with  firewood  for  Bagdad — Ummuttumim,  a  large  Canal — 
Grotesque  description  of  Boat— Shifeleh — Extensive  Ruins- 
Observations  on  the  general  appearance  of  Ruins  in  this  coun- 
try— The  ruins  of  Mumliheh — Coins — Want  of  instruments 
for  digging. 

At  four,  p.  m.  we  passed  an  encampment  similar  to 
that  we  had  seen  the  night  before  ;  here  our  European 
costume  and  white  faces  so  much  attracted  the  attention 
and  curiosity  of  the  inhabitants,  that  they  accompanied 
us  along  the  bank  for  upwards  of  a  mile,  singing  and 
dancing  all  the  way.  Aboo  Nasir,  who  was  a  friend  of 
their  chief,  had  just  drank  sufficient  to  put  on  that 
solemn  aspect  a  tipsy  man  so  often  assumes.  Seating 
himself  in  midships,  with  his  pipe  in  one  hand,  and  his 
silver  baton  of  authority  in  the  other,  he  returned  the 
salutations  of  the  mob  with  the  most  amusing  gravity, 
while  our  band  squeaked  a  tune,  and  our  guard  figured 
away  in  the  sword-dance. 


64  VILLAGE  JESTER. MUNJUMMIL. 

In  every  village  that  we  passed  there  was  a  merry  noisy 
fellow,  who  seemed  by  general  consent  to  be  the  common 
spokesman  and  buffoon.  At  this  place,  in  particular, 
the  representative  of  the  people  appeared  to  be  highly 
agreeable  to  his  constituents,  as  every  sentence  that  he 
uttered  brought  down  from  them  a  roar  of  laughter, 
which  was  immediately  re-echoed  by  our  boat's  crew. 

Eight,  p.  m.,  off  Akushee.  At  this  place,  some  time 
ago,  a  Mr.  Low  and  another  Englishman  were  taken  by 
the  Arab  hordes,  and  obliged  to  pay  a  stipulated  sum 
for  their  release  ;  but  they  had  not  proceeded  far,  when 
numbers  came  off  in  boats  to  attack  them,  for  the  pur- 
pose of  extorting  an  additional  sum.  Incensed  at  this 
conduct,  our  countrymen  fired  on  their  treacherous  oppo- 
nents, and  killed  two  of  them  ;  but  knowing  that  their 
tribe,  which  occupied  both  banks,  would  soon  be  up  in 
arms  against  them,  and  the  current  being  too  strong  to 
contend  with,  they  were  obliged  to  return  to  Bussorah. 

March  11. — At  nine  in  the  morning,  we  passed  a  sta- 
tion called  Munjummil,  from  an  Arab  Sheikh  of  that 
name,  which,  from  the  time  of  Ishmael,*  has  been  the 
general  origin  of  names  borne  by  different  places  in  these 
countries. 

We  have  not  met  with  any  habitations  that  could  be 
considered  permanent,  nor  any  formed  of  more  substan- 
tial materials  than  mats  and  reeds.  The  liability  to  in- 
undations, and  the  habits  of  these  wanderers,  would 
prevent  them  from  erecting  buildings  which  could  not 
be  moved. 

We  passed  in  succession  on  the  right  bank,  the  usual 
station  of  Thuyn  II  Swyah,  and  Mohumud  Abool  Has- 
san, Arab  chiefs  of  note. 

*  "  These  are  the  sons  of  Ishmael,  and  these  are  their  names, 
bv  their  tons,  and  by  their  castles, ,v    Gen#  chap.  xxv.  ver.  16. 


ENCAMPMENTS  OP  ARABS.  65 

We  saw  numerous  encampments  of  Arabs  on  both 
sides,  all  of  whom,  as  our  boat  approached,  loudly  de- 
manded who  we  were.  We  always  answered  them  by 
mentioning  the  name  of  Mohumud,  a  powerful  sheikh  of 
the  Montefeekh  tribe,  whose  protection  our  boatmen 
claim.  This  question  was  repeated  night  and  day,  and 
men  frequently  started  up  in  the  jungle,  where  neither 
habitations  nor  any  appearance  of  population  were  ob- 
servable. 

We  were  given  to  understand,  that  a  boat  was  in  no 
danger  of  being  attacked  when  any  number  of  Arabs 
were  collected  on  the  banks,  as  there  was  then  no  pre- 
meditated intention  of  robbery,  but  when  only  one  or 
two  made  their  appearance,  there  was  reason  to  suspect 
that  the  remainder  of  the  gang  were  at  no  great  dis- 
tance ;  and  we  frequently  observed  that  Aboo  Nasir  and 
the  boatmen  were  always  more  on  the  alert  on  these  oc- 
casions. Indeed,  the  circumstance  of  our  boat  having 
to  make  its  way  against  a  rapid  and  tortuous  stream, 
through  a  treeless  desert,  gave  to  robbers,  who  might  be 
disposed  to  molest  us,  a  great  facility  of  observation,  as 
well  as  ample  time  to  make  every  necessary  preparation 
for  attack.  Jeremiah  alludes  to  this  mode  of  lying  in 
ambush,  in  his  denunciation  against  the  wickedness  of 
Judah.  a  In  the  ways  hast  thou  sat  for  them,  as  the 
Arabian  in  the  wilderness."* 

At  two,  p.  m.,  off  Cheshef.  Here  we  fell  in,  for  the 
first  time,  with  the  Illyauts,  another  description  of  wan- 
dering Arabs.  Instead  of  the  mat  huts  we  had  before 
seen,  they  occupied  black  tents,  probably  of  the  same 
description  as  those  of  their  earliest  ancestors.  We  have 
a  curious  illustration  of  this  in  the  Songs  of  Solomon, 

*  Jer.  chap.  iii.  ver.  2. 


66  ILLYAUTS. ABUNDANCE  OP  GAME. 

where  his  bride  compares  the  blackness  of  her  complex- 
ion to  the  tents  of  Kedar.* 

We  made  frequent  visits  to  these  encampments,  which 
were  all  extremely  wretched.  The  tents  were  about  six 
feet  long  and  three  high,  and  brought  strongly  to  mind 
the  habitations  of  the  English  gypsies.  A  large  stud  of 
blood  horses  were  grazing  near  the  tents,  which  being 
well  cased  in  body  cloths,  formed  a  curious  contrast  with 
the  miserable  appearance  of  the  Illyauts  themselves. 

At  four  o'clock,  we  stopped  at  a  patch  of  brushwood 
jungle,  where  nearly  all  the  boatmen  and  guard  went  to 
cut  wood  for  fuel.  In  the  midst  of  this  employment,  one 
of  the  party  disturbed  a  lion  that  was  sleeping  under  a 
bush.  He  was  greatly  frightened,  and  speedily  commu- 
nicated his  terror  to  his  comrades,  who  hastened  on 
board.  The  lion  stole  away,  and  the  trackers  who  had 
to  walk  through  the  same  jungle,  continued  their  work 
without  making  any  objection.  Game  of  every  descrip- 
tion is  abundant  throughout,  which  reminds  us  that  we 
are  in  the  ancient  kingdom  of  Nimrod,  that  "  mighty 
hunter  before  the  Lord."  The  spot  we  were  now  pass- 
ing, was  quite  living  with  the  immense  quantities  of  ani- 
mals of  all  descriptions.  At  every  step,  our  trackers 
put  up  pelicans,  swans,  geese,  ducks,  and  snipes ;  num- 
bers of  hogs  were  seen  galloping  about  in  every  direc- 
tion ;  a  lioness  strolled  towards  our  boat,  and  stood  sta- 
ring at  us  for  two  or  three  seconds ;  when  within  thirty 

*  "lam  black  but  comely,  oh  ye  daughters  of  Jerusalem,  as 
the  tents  of  Kedar,  the  curtains  of  Solomon." — Solomon's  Song, 
chap.  i.  verse  5. 

Kedar  was  the  second  son  of  Ishmael  (Gen.  xxv. :)  his  tribe, 
under  the  name  of  Cedraeni,  are  mentioned  by  Pliny,  as  descen- 
dants of  Kedar.  The  Cedrsean  Arabs  form  a  part  of  the  Sar- 
acens. 


ALI  SHtfRGEE.  67 

yards,  Mr.  Hamilton  and  myself  both  fired  at  her,  but 
as  we  were  loaded  with  small  shot,  we  did  her  no  injury, 
the  noise  of  our  guns  made  her  turn  quietly  round,  and 
she  went  away  as  leisurely  as  she  came. 

We  saw,  this  afternoon,  a  numerous  flock  of  small 
birds,  which  presented  the  appearance  of  a  large  whirl- 
wind, and  literally  darkened  the  air  in  their  flight. 
Both  Mr.  Lamb  and  Mr.  Hart  had  seen  the  same  in 
India,  and  told  me  that  they  were  birds  of  the  ortolan 
species. 

March  12. — We  remained  on  board  this  morning  by 
desire  of  Aboo  Nasir,  who  told  us  that  the  Arabs  here 
were  very  uncivilized,  and  likely  to  molest  us. 

In  the  afternoon,  we  arrived  off  a  small  village,  where 
we  took  in  some  milk  and  butter,  and  gave  in  exchange 
a  handful  of  dried  dates,  which  these  primitive  inhabi- 
tants liked  equally  as  well  as  money.  We  saw  here 
some  small  trading  boats  laden  with  dates,  which  they 
barter  with  the  inhabitants  for  ghee  and  coarse  cloths, 
manufactured  from  the  wool  of  their  sheep.  We  passed 
a  small  mound,  called  Gubur  Jumdeer,  erected  in  me- 
mory of  a  Sheikh  of  the  Bence  Lam  tribe,  who  died 
there,  but  whose  body  was  sent  for  interment  to  Mushed 
Ali,  the  holy  land  of  the  Shiah  sect  of  Mahometans. 

Ten,  p.  m. — On  the  left  banks  of  the  river,  we  passed 
a  place  marked  by  a  large  clump  of  trees,  called  Ali 
Shurgee,  where  the  Mahometan  prophet  Ali  is  said  to 
have  left  the  print  of  his  foot  in  his  ascent  to  heaven. 
We  saw  here  several  animals,  which  might  have  been 
birds,  flitting  about  the  trees,  but  which  appeared  to  us 
like  the  large  Bengal  bats,  called  the  flying  foxes.* 

March  13. — We  visited  the  remains  of  an  ancient 
building  on  the  right  bank  of  the  Tigris,  composed  of  a 

*  The  Vestpertiglio  ingens  of  Linnaeus, 


68  FILIFILEH  AND  SOOROOT. — KING  KISRA. 

large  square  mound  of  sun-burnt  bricks,  sixty  paces 
long,  forty-eigbt  wide,  and  about  twenty  feet  high. 
This  place  the  Arabs  called  Filifileh,  from  a  lady  of  rank 
and  beauty,  who,  they  said,  flourished  in  the  reign  of 
King  Kisra  :  a  cause-way  extended  to  the  east,  interrupt- 
ed by  the  river,  to  a  similar  mound,  called  Sooroot,  so 
named  from  a  handsome  young  husbandman  who  lived  on 
the  opposite  bank,  and  with  whom  Filifileh  is  said  to 
have  fallen  desperately  in  love.  The  tradition  is,  that 
Sooroot,  like  Leander,  was  in  the  habit  of  swimming 
across  the  river  to  his  lady  love,  who,  grieving  that  any 
time  should  be  lost  in  such  an  exploit,  erected  this  cause- 
way to  facilitate  his  visits. 

The  name  of  the  monarch,  Kisra,*  which,  as  well  as 
Khosro  and  Chosroes,  are  synonymous  with  Cyrus,  is  in- 
tended by  the  Arabs  to  designate  Noosheervan,  sur- 
named  Adil  (the  Just,)  who  is  highly  celebrated  in  Ori- 
ental history  for  his  justice  and  piety.  It  was  the  boast 
of  Mahomet  that  he  was  born  in  this  monarch's  reign ; 
and  so  proud  are  the  modern  natives  of  his  memory,  that 
they  assign  to  him  all  doubtful  remains  of  antiquity. 

March  14. — We  went  on  shore  to  an  encampment  of 
Illyauts,  whom  we  found  employed  in  making  the  carpets 
for  which  they  are  so  celebrated.  The  inhabitants  here 
were  remarkably  civil  and  respectful,  and  brought  us  se- 
veral bowls  of  milk:  our  swords  and  pistols  were  as 
usual  the  great  objects  of  their  curiosity.  We  gave 
some  money  to  a  woman,  which  one  of  our  guard  at- 
tempted to  appropriate  to  himself,  but  being  discover- 
ed, was   obliged   to  refund.       When  we  returned  on 


*  "  Kisra  or  Cosra,  Chosroes  or  Cyrus,  an  Emperor,  the  sur- 
name of  several  kings  of  Parthia,  like  Ptolemy  amongst  the 
Egyptians,  or  Caesar  with  the  Romans."  Richardson's  Lie- 
tionary. 


ENCAMPMENT  OF  1LLYAUTS.  09 

board  we  made  a  complaint  to  Aboo  Nasir,  who  ordered 
him  to  be  flogged ;  the  culprit,  on  hearing  his  sentence, 
rushed  into  the  cabin,  threw  himself  on  his  knees,  and 
kissed  the  cufF  of  Mr.  Lamb's  coat?  and  was  pardoned 
at  our  intercession. 

At  ten  at  night,  we  reached  an  encampment  of  re- 
nowned robbers,  and  immediately  received  a  caution 
from  Aboo  Nasir  to  be  on  the  alert.  They  appeared 
either  to  have  just  arrived,  or  to  have  been  on  the  point 
of  departure,  all  their  tents  (with  the  exception  of  eight 
or  ten)  being  struck.  In  a  few  minutes,  three  men  ap- 
peared on  the  bank,  and  demanded  why  our  boat  travel- 
led at  night,  and  what  we  were  laden  with.  Aboo  Na- 
sir answered,  "  We  have  troops  on  board,  and  are  pur- 
suing our  journey ;  we  are  laden  with  fire,  with  which, 
if  you  don't  leave  the  bank,  we  shall  accommodate 
you."  Our  querists  took  the  hint  as  we  intended,  dis- 
appeared on  the  instant,  and  we  were  troubled  with  no 
farther  questions. 

March  15. — The  windings  of  the  river  were  exceed- 
ingly tortuous  to-day.  At  one,  p.  m.  we  observed  an 
extensive  mark  on  the  right  bank  of  the  river,  the  re- 
mains of  an  encampment,  where  one  of  the  great  Mecca 
caravans  was  plundered  a  hundred  and  thirty  years  ago. 
The  place  has  been  deserted  ever  since.  It  is  called 
Mudduk-Il-Hujauje,  and  appears  to  have  been  of  great 
extent,  for  we  came  again  upon  its  ruins,  at  another  turn 
of  the  river,  several  hours  afterwards. 

Towards  evening,  we  saw  the  apparent  remains  of  an- 
cient buildings,  in  a  northerly  direction,  and  at  dusk 
reached  the  village  of  Koote,  which  is  considered  half- 
way between  Bussorah  and  Bagdad. 

At  this  place,  horses  in  any  number  are  always  ready 
for  the  traveller  who  may  wish  to  perform  the  rest  of  the 
journey  to  Bagdad  by  land.     The  distance  is  one  hun- 

9 


70  KOOTE. — JUBUL  AEEEZ. 

dred  and  twenty  miles,  through  a  barren  desert.  In  the 
dry  season  the  journey  is  performed  in  thirty-six  hours, 
when  it  is  necessary  to  carry  provisions  and  water,  both 
for  riders  and  horses;  but  at  this  time  of  the  year 
abundance  of  water  is  found  in  the  Desert,  as  also  nume- 
rous encampments  of  Arabs,  so  that  the  traveller  may 
proceed  at  his  leisure.  Mr.  Hamilton  wished  to  avail 
himself  of  this  opportunity,  and  horses  were  immediate- 
ly put  in  requisition  for  his  use,  but  we  preferred  re- 
maining on  board  our  boat,  being  anxious  to  visit  the 
ruins  of  Seleucia  and  Ctesiphon,  situate  on  the  banks  of 
the  river. 

March  16. — At  day-break,  Mr.  Lamb  and  myself 
went  on  shore  to  examine  the  neighbourhood.  Koote  is 
a  small,  square,  and  wretched  mud-built  village,  sur- 
rounded by  a  wall,  not  more  than  six  feet  high ;  and  is 
the  first  permanent  establishment  we  have  seen  since  we 
left  Koorna.  It  is  the  residence  of  the  powerful  chief- 
tain of  the  Benee  Lam  Arabs,  whose  influence  extends 
as  far  as  Goomruk  to  the  south,  and  Bagdad  to  the  north. 
Shut-ul-Hie,  a  navigable  stream,  runs,  opposite  Koote, 
into  the  Euphrates.  Two  miles  north  of  Koote,  are  the 
remains  of  a  wall  thrown  across  the  neck  of  the  peninsu- 
la, formed  by  the  winding  of  the  river. 

To  the  north  of  the  wall  was  a  mound,  covered  with 
large  sun-burnt  bricks,  apparently  the  remains  of  a  for- 
tress; and,  from  the  position  of  the  whole,  I  should  be 
inclined  to  think,  it  might  have  formed  the  field-work  of 
a  military  camp.  This  place  was  called  by  the  Arabs, 
Jubul  Afeez.  It  is  said  to  be  co-eval  with  the  ruins  at 
Filifileh  and  Sooroot.  While  we  were  examining  these 
ruins,  we  put  up  great  numbers  of  hares  and  partridges. 
We  met  also  some  men  with  greyhounds ;  these  dogs  are 
very  beautiful  animals,  and  are  somewhat  smaller  than 
the  English  breed  \  the  ears  hang  down,  the  tail  is  fea- 


AN  ARAB  DANDY.  71 

thered,  and  both  are  covered  with  hair  as  line  as  silk. 
The  Arabs  are  very  fond  of  this  species ;  but  the  dog 
being  an  unclean  animal  according  to  the  Mahometan 
law,  the  Faithful  are  not  allowed  to  touch  it,  except  on 
the  crown  of  the  head,  that  being  the  only  part  of  the 
animal  which  he  is  unable  to  pollute  with  his  tongue. 

The  owner  of  these  dogs  was  rather  an  anomalous  be- 
ing for  an  inhabitant  of  the  Desert — a  young  Arab  dan- 
dy; his  turban  and  robes  were  adjusted  with  the  great- 
est neatness,  his  eyelids  were  stained  with  antimony,  two 
or  three  rings  graced  each  finger,  and  he  conversed  with 
an  air  of  the  most  amusing  puppyism. 

In  our  excursion,  we  met  Mr.  Hamilton  and  his  par- 
ty. All  were  armed  from  head  to  foot;  he  was  accom- 
panied by  our  Ethiopian  servant,  Yacoot,  a  guide,  and 
five  of  our  Arab  guard,  all  of  whom  were  mounted  at 
his  expense ;  the  hire  of  each  horse  from  Koote  to  Bag- 
ded  being  ten  piastres ;  the  horses  of  the  party  were 
very  small,  and  apparently  ill  calculated  to  sustain  the 
fatigues  of  the  journey ;  but  of  high  blood,  and  accus- 
tomed to  go  through  it  with  ease. 

While  waiting  for  our  boat,  I  shot  a  crow,  which  our 
guard,  after  having  roasted  it  by  a  fire  they  made  in  the 
jungle,  ate ;  though  the  crow  is  forbidden  by  the  Ma- 
hometan as  well  as  the  Levitical  law.* 

We  returned  on  board  at  eight  in  the  morning,  and 
tried  to  make  way  against  a  strong  wind,  which  increa- 
sed so  much  by  ten  o'clock,  that  our  trackers,  unable  to 
proceed  against  it,  were  obliged  to  lay  by  till  two  in  the 
afternoon,  when  the  wind  moderating,  we  continued  our 
journey.     This  was  the  first  time  we  were  wind-bound. 

During  our  detention,  Arabs  encamped  in  the  vicinity 
brought  cloaks,  skins,  and  worsted  yarn  for  sale ;  we  pro- 

*  Lovit.  chap.  ix.  verse  16. 


II  UMMUTTUMIM. 

cured  two  fine  milk  goats  and  kids,  for  which  we  paid 
eleven  piastres.  We  passed  a  boat  cutting  fire-wood 
frotn  the  brush- wood  of  the  jungle,  for  sale  at  Bagdad; 
this  must  be  a  scarce  article,  since  a  journey  of  three 
hundred  miles  is  made  to  obtain  it. 

At  four  p.  m.  at  a  place  called  Ummuttumim,  we  came 
to  a  large  canal,  running  in  an  easterly  direction;  the 
bed  of  which  was  filled  up  nearly  to  the  level  of  the  sur- 
rounding country,  but  the  banks  on  both  sides  distinctly 
marked  its  course,  the  brick  foundation  of  a  wall  was 
here  visible.  The  canal  appeared  to  fall  into  the  Tigris, 
about  two  miles  from  the  place  where  we  approached  it, 
and  might  have  been  made  for  the  purpose  of  carrying 
off  the  superabundant  waters  of  the  river  during  the 
freshes,  for  which  purpose,  so  many  canals  were  said  to 
have  been  formed  in  ancient  Babylonia.  We  followed 
its  course  upwards  of  four  miles  to  the  north-west,  but 
did  not  see  its  termination  in  that  direction.  The  river, 
to-day,  has  not  been  so  winding  as  yesterday,  though  we 
have  had  one  or  two  very  abrupt  turns. 

Owing  to  the  strong  N.  W.  wind  which  has  prevailed 
the  whole  of  the  day,  our  progress  has  been  very  slow, 
more  so,  indeed,  than  on  any  day  since  leaving  Busso- 
rah;  the  water  is  rapidly  decreasing,  as  appears  by  the 
banks,  which  have  fallen  nearly  six  feet. 

March  17. — The  windings  of  the  river  increased,  and 
the  water  continued  to  fall  very  rapidly.  We  saw  great 
quantities  of  brush-wood  on  both  banks,  and  passed  many 
boats  laden  with  it.  These  vessels  are  of  a  very  gro- 
tesque description,  being  nearly  as  broad  as  they  are 
long,  and  deviate  very  little  from  the  circular  boat  com- 
mon to  the  Euphrates  and  Tigris:  they  are  constructed 
of  wicker,  and  coated  with  naphtha,  and  when  laden 
with  brush-wood,  piled  twelve  or  fourteen  feet  high,  ap- 
peared too  unwieldy  to  be  moved  in  any  other  direction 


SHIFILEH. ASSYRIA  A\D  BABYLON.  73 

than  the  current.  We  stopped  at  noon  to  lay  in  a  stock 
of  firewood,  having  been  informed  we  should  not  meet 
with  any  more  jungle  on  our  voyage. 

At  twTo,  p.  m.,  at  an  abrupt  curve  of  the  river,  we 
passed  Shifileh,  a  square  brick  fort,  the  residence  of 
Sheikh  Tyobeid,  a  powerful  Arab  chief,  whose  country 
extends  from  the  right  bank  of  the  Shut-ul-Hie  to  Bag- 
dad, while  the  left  bank,  from  Koote  to  Bagdad,  is  under 
the  influence  of  Sheikh  Zummeir. 

Shortly  afterwards,  we  came  upon  some  extensive 
ruins  on  the  left  bank  of  the  river,  which  we  landed  to 
examine;  indeed,  from  hence  to  Bagdad,  this  now  desert 
tract  bears  the  marks  of  having  once  been  covered  with 
large  and  populous  cities.  Previous  to  entering  upon  a 
description  of  this  place,  a  few  general  observations  are 
necessary  respecting  the  appearance  of  all  ruins  of  this 
once  populous  region. 

The  soil  of  ancient  Assyria  and  Babylonia  consists  of  a 
fine  clay,  mixed  with  sand,  with  which,  as  the  waters  of 
the  river  retire,  the  shores  are  covered.  This  compost, 
when  dried  by  the  heat  of  the  sun,  becomes  a  hard  and 
solid  mass,  and  forms  the  finest  material  for  the  beautiful 
bricks  for  which  Babylon  was  so  celebrated.  We  all 
put  to  the  test  the  adaptation  of  this  mud  for  pottery,  by 
taking  some  of  it  while  wet  from  the  bank  of  the  river, 
and  then  moulding  it  into  any  form  we  pleased.  Hav- 
ing been  exposed  to  the  sun  for  half  an  hour,  it  became 
as  hard  as  stone.  These  remarks  are  important,  as  the 
indication  of  buildings  throughout  this  region  are  dif- 
ferent from  those  of  other  countries,  the  universal  sub- 
stitution of  brick  for  stone  being  observable  in  all  the 
numerous  ruins  we  visited,  including  those  of  the  great 
cities  of  Seleucia,  Ctesiphon,  and  of  the  mighty  Babylon 
herself,  for  which  we  have  the  authority  of  Scripture, 


M  MUMLIHEH. 

that  her  builders  "  had  brick  for  stone,  and  slime  had 
they  for  mortar."* 

In  consequence  of  this  circumstance,  the  ruins  now 
before  us,  which  our  guides  called  Mumliheh,  instead  of 
showing  fragments  of  pillars,  or  any  marks  by  which  we 
might  conjecture  the  order  of  architecture,  exhibit  an 
accumulation  of  mounds,  which,  on  a  dead  flat,  soon  at- 
tract the  eye  of  a  traveller,  and  have  at  first  sight  the 
appearance  of  sandy  hillocks.  On  a  nearer  inspection 
they  prove  to  be  square  masses  of  brick,  facing  the  car- 
dinal points,  and,  though  sometimes  much  worn  by  the 
weather,  built  with  much  regularity ;  the  neighbourhood 
of  these  large  mounds  are  strewed  with  fragments  of  tile, 
broken  pottery,  and  manufactured  vitreous  substances. 
Coins,  the  incontestable  proofs  of  former  population,  are 
generally  to  be  found.  In  this  place,  they  are  so  abun- 
dant, that  many  persons  come  from  Bagdad  in  the  dry 
season  to  search  for  them.  Aboo  Nasir  told  us,  that 
some  time  ago  he  found  a  pot  full  of  coins,  and  Mr.  Hart 
picked  up  two,  with  apparently  Cufic  inscriptions,  but 
their  characters  were  not  very  decipherable.  Near  the 
place  where  they  were  found,  was  the  fragment  of  a 
vessel  which  had  possibly  contained  them. 

Travellers,  in  making  this  tour,  ought  to  provide 
themselves  with  instruments  for  digging,  which  would 
both  facilitate  their  researches,  and  in  all  probability 
amply  repay  their  curiosity. 

At  midnight,  we  passed  the  western  side  of  a  consi- 
derable island,  by  which  the  river  is  divided  into  two 
navigable  channels.  The  nights  are  beautifully  clear, 
and  well  suited  to  the  study  of  astronomy  ;  which  re- 
minds us  that  we  are  in  the  land  of  the  Chaldeans,  the 
earliest  professors  of  that  science. 

*  Gen.  chap.  xi.  verse  3. 


TORTUOUS  COURSE  OF  THE  RIVER.  75 


CHAPTER  VII. 

Tortuous  course  of  the  River — Extensive  Ruins — Fire  Temple — 
Devil's  dance — Dawurree,  a  tribe  of  thieves  and  buffoons — 
Ruins  of  Seleucia — Camel-riding — Illustration  of  the  Prophecy 
of  Isaiah — Ancient  Statue — Tradition — Powder  Mill — Ctesi- 
phon — Description  of  the  Tauk  or  Arch  of  Kisra — Suleiman 
Pauk — Historical  notices  of  Seleucia  and  Ctesiphon — Arrival 
at  Bagdad — Public  Entrance — Mr.  Hamilton's  Journey  across 
the  Desert — Anecdote  of  the  Chief  of  the  Artillery.- 

March  18. — The  river  becomes  more  winding,  as  we 
ascend,  forming  a  chain  of  peninsulas,  which  makes  the 
distance  by  water  fully  three  times  longer  than  by  land ; 
the  bed  of  the  river  is  enlarged,  and  numerous  banks 
are  formed  in  it,  rendering  the  navigation  very  difficult 
when  the  water  is  low.  Our  boat  run  a-ground  several 
times  after  leaving  Koote,  but  being  light,  we  got  off 
without  difficulty,  and  this  happening  at  a  time  when  the 
river  is  so  high,  proves  that  it  must  be  wholly  unnaviga- 
ble  in  the  dry  season. 

At  noon,  we  passed  extensive  mounds  on  the  north 
bank,  which  they  told  us  were  called  Shejer;  considered 
half  way  between  Koote  and  Bagdad.  An  Arab  whom 
we  met  here  informed  us  of  Mr.  Hamilton's  arrival  at 
Bagdad,  yesterday,  at  the  hour  of  afternoon  prayer  (four 
o'clock.) 

We  passed  to-day,  numbers  of  turtles  on  the  banks 
and  shoals,  which  the  rapid  fall  of  the  river  had  recently 
left  exposed. 

At  noon,  we  examined  some  extensive  mounds  of  the 


76  EXTENSIVE  RUINS. 

same  general  description  as  those  we  saw  yesterday. 
One  of  our  party  picked  up  a  brick  with  an  inscription, 
but  of  a  very  imperfect  character.  Half  a  mile  from 
the  banks  of  the  river  was  the  portion  of  a  pillar,  com- 
posed of  sun-burnt  bricks,  twenty  feet,  two  inches  high, 
and  sixty-three  feet  in  circumference.  It  consisted  of 
eight  layers  of  bricks,  several  compartments  of  seven 
layers  placed  horizontally,  and  one  vertically ;  between 
the  layers  was  interspersed  cement,  one-half  the  thick- 
ness of  the  brick.  The  pillar  stands  at  the  eastern  side 
of  a  large  mass  of  ruins,  apparently  the  remains  of  an  ex- 
tensive palace,  or  temple;  that  portion  which  is  left, 
proves  it  to  be  detached,  and  there  were  evidently  no 
means  of  ascending  it :  we  were  not  provided  with  in- 
struments with  which  we  could  open  its  base,  or  examine 
among  the  ruins  for  any  part  of  its  capital,  or  ornament, 
and  we  could  gain  no  information  respecting  it.  The 
annexed  sketch  will  show  the  resemblance  this  pillar 
bears  to  those  ancient  columns  so  common  in  Ireland. 
Amongst  the  ruins  we  found  some  different  kinds  of  glass, 
perfectly  white  and  transparent,  like  flint-glass ;  the  sur- 
face of  which  was  corroded,  indicating  a  long  exposure. 


m 


FIRE-TEMPLE.  4  7 

A  raised  causeway  extended  due  S.  from  these  ruins,  to 
some  mounds  apparently  four  or  five  miles  distant.  Half 
a  mile  to  the  W.  N.  W.  on  the  banks  of  the  river 
are  some  mounds,  the  remains  of  a  burying-ground,  on 
which  the  river  has  evidently  encroached,  and  recently 
washed  down  a  considerable  portion.  At  this  place, 
was  an  earthenware  vessel  of  an  oval  shape;  this  Mr. 
Hart  broke  open  with  his  dagger,  and  found  to  contain 
the  skeleton  of  a  child,  which  crumbled  to  pieces  on 
being  exposed  to  the  air ;  the  vessel  was  eighteen  inches 
deep,  three  feet  long,  and  twenty-two  inches  wide : 
higher  up  in  the  bank  was  another  vessel,  somewhat 
larger,  but  corresponding  with  the  other  in  its  general 
appearance,  but  as  this  had  been  broken,  no  bones  were 
discoverable.  In  the  course  of  our  journey,  we  found 
vessels  of  a  similar  description,  of  which  I  shall  make 
mention  in  another  part  of  the  journal. 

Near  sun-set,  we  saw  at  some  distance,  bearing  south 
by  west,  an  elevated  mound,  which  Aboo  Nasir  called 
Gubri  Bena,  the  temple  of  the  Ghebers,  or  ancient  fire- 
worshippers.  As  we  looked  upon  Aboo  Nasir  to  be 
less  superstitious  than  his  countrymen,  we  were  not  a 
little  surprised  to  hear  him  gravely  assert  that  a  large 
troop  of  devils  were  in  the  habit  of  assembling  at  the 
temple  every  night,  and  dancing  round  it,  amidst  flames 
of  fire  ;  he  added,  that  many  Arabs  had  seen  them  at  a 
distance,  that  none  had  ever  dared  to  approach  the  spot 
by  night,  and  that  no  Englishman  had  ever  visited  the 
haunt  of  these  evil  spirits. 

March  19. — Our  boat  was  accompanied  this  morning 
for  a  considerable  distance  by  a  party  of  fellows,  who 
kept  up  a  kind  of  running  dance,  of  a  most  grotesque 
description  ;  with  them,  was  a  man  playing  a  flute,  made 
of  bamboo,  from  which  he  managed  to  extract  some  kind 
of  melody.     They  belonged  to  a  tribe  called  Dawurree, 

10 


78  vUk  ivlSKA. 

and  arc  countenanced  by  the  Pasha  of  Bagdad ;  are  pro- 
fessed thieves  and  buffoons,  and  said  to  be  very  skilful  in 
both  callings.  As  far  as  we  could  judge,,  their  appear- 
ance certainly  did  not  belie  their  vocations. 

The  banks  of  the  river  were  lined  with  camels  and  cat- 
tle, and  a  numerous  encampment  of  Illyauts. 

During  the  day,  we  passed  an  uninterrupted  succes- 
sion of  mounds,  the  remains  of  the  once  magnificent  ci- 
ties of  Seleucia  and  Ctesiphon.  At  night,  we  came  in 
sight  of  Tauk  Kisra,  an  ancient  arch,  which  we  visited 
the  following  day. 

March  20. — We  landed  first  on  the  W.  bank  of  the 
river,  on  the  site  of  the  ancient  Seleucia.  Having  to  go 
some  distance  in  search  of  a  statue,  and  not  being  able  to 
procure  horses,  we  each  hired  a  camel  from  amongst  some 
which  we  found  grazing  on  the  banks;  these  animals  had 
nothing  on  their  backs  but  the  common  wooden  frame, 
or  pack-saddle  for  carrying  burthens,  and  were  totally 
unprovided  with  any  convenience  for  riding ;  so  we  each 
seated  ourselves  on  their  rumps,  and  guided  them  with  a 
long  stick,  by  striking  their  cheek  on  the  opposite  side 
to  that  which  we  wished  them  to  go.  I  do  not  answer 
for  my  companions,  some  of  whom  were  fastidious  re- 
specting their  conveyance,  but  for  my  own  part,  I 
thought  the  motion  was  not  intolerable,  nor  so  rough  as 
to  prevent  me  from  writing  legibly,  while  my  beast  was 
going  his  best  walking-pace. 

We  reached  the  statue  of  which  we  were  in  search, 
after  a  ride  of  five  miles,  through  a  country  strewed  with 
fragments  of  ruined  buildings.  As  far  as  the  eye  could 
reach,  the  horizon  presented  a  broken  line  of  mounds; 
the  whole  of  this  place  was  a  desert  flat :  the  only  vege- 
tation was  a  small  prickly  shrub,  thinly  scattered  over 
the  plain,  and  some  patches  of  grass,  where  the  water 
had  lodged  in  pools,  occupied  by  immense  flocks  of  bit- 


ANCIENT  STATUE.  79 

terns:  so  literally  has  the  prophecy  of  Isaiah  been  fulfill- 
ed, respecting  devoted  Babylon,  that  it  should  be 
"  swept  with  the  besom  of  destruction/ '  that  it  should 
be  made  "  a  possession  for  the  bittern  and  pools  of  wa- 
ter." 

The  statue  was  lying  on  the  ground  near  the  remains 
of  some  extensive  buildings.  It  consisted  of  the  lower 
portion  of  a  figure  in  a  sitting  posture  in  long  vestments, 
the  form  of  which  proves  them  to  belong  to  a  female.    It 


■ 

is  executed  with  considerable  skill,  particularly  the  orna- 
mental part  of  the  robe,  and  the  feet,  which  are  exceed- 
ingly well  delineated.  The  figure  is  seated  on  a  square 
stool,  standing  on  a  base  ten  inches  thick,  apparently  for 
the  purpose  of  fixing  it  in  its  place,  as  it  is  left  rough: 
the  upper  portion  is  broken  off,  as  it  would  seem  from 
having  fallen  down  from  a  height.  This  is  indicated  by 
the  manner  of  the  fracture,  which  is  obliquely  down- 
wards, while  the  stone  is  rent  throughout.  The  entire 
figure  appears  to  consist  of  a  block  of  compact  granite, 
of  great  tenacity,  as  we  found  on  making  an  unsuccessful 


80  TRADITION. 

attempt  to  break  off  a  small  portion  from  the  fractured 
part. 

Our  guides  had,  as  usual,  a  tradition  respecting  the 
ruins  and  the  statue.  \  The  city,  they  said,  was  destroy- 
ed by, the  Almighty,  for  the  sins  of  the  people.  In  for- 
mer times,  a  brother  and  sister,  both  very  beautiful, 
were  so  constantly  together,  that,  as  they  grew  up,  an 
improper  attachment  was  formed,  and  God,  to  punish 
them,  turned  them  to  stone. 

We  returned  a  different  way  from  that  which  we 
came,  but  the  same  signs  of  building  were  apparent:  the 
people  who  accompanied  us  on  foot,  picked  up  four  cop- 
per coins,  but  they  were  so  much  corroded  that  they 
could  not  be  made  out.  On  our  return,  we  passed  what 
appears  to  have  been  the  W.  wall  of  the  city,  composed 
of  sun-dried  bricks,  with  layers  of  reeds.  It  is  of  great 
thickness,  and  in  many  places,  notwithstanding  its  long 
exposure  to  the  washing  of  the  rains,  upwards  of  twenty 
feet  high.  It  stands  about  a  mile  from  the  present  chan- 
nel of  the  river;  the  line  of  the  southern  wall  can  also 
be  traced,  and  the  remains  of  a  mound  running  east. 
The  water  is  encroaching  in  this  direction,  and  has  wash- 
ed away  the  eastern  wall,  if  such  ever  existed. 

The  Turks  have  established  a  gunpowder  manufacto- 
ry, at  which  we  found  some  men  at  work :  the  ruins  of  a 
small  square  fort,  evidently  of  a  later  erection,  stand 
about  the  middle  of  the  southern  wall,  from  which  it  is 
separated  a  hundred  yards,  and  must  have  been  com- 
manded from  it.  The  form  of  the  interior  building, 
which  is  of  burnt  bricks,  can  still  be  traced,  and  we  saw 
a  well  on  one  of  the  bastions.  Though  a  brisk  wind  was 
blowing,  the  heat  was  very  oppressive,  and  we  were  glad 
to  get  to  the  protection  of  the  boat.  We  found  a  ser- 
vant of  Aga  Saikeis,  the  British  agent  at  Bagdad,  wait- 
ing on  board;  with  a  letter  from  Mr.  Hamilton,  inform- 


ARCH  OF  KISIiA.  81 

ing  us,  that  apartments  were  preparing  in  the  agent's 
house,  and  that  horses  would  be  sent  to  this  place  to  take 
us  on  to  Bagdad. 

In  the  afternoon,  we  crossed  over  to  the  E.  bank  near 
to  the  Tauk  (Arch.)  which  we  went  to  examine,  after 
having  rested  a  couple  of  hours.  It  stands  about  half  a 
mile  from  the  river,  the  intervening  space  being  entirely- 
covered  with  brick  mounds,  which,  in  every  direction, 
appeared  to  extend  as  far  as  we  could  see.  We  rode  on 
asses,  which  we  obtained  on  hire.  The  annual  fair, 
which  is  held  at  the  tomb  of  Suleiman  Pauk  (a  Mohome- 
tan  saint,)  terminated  yesterday,  and  a  number  of  the  vi- 
siters still  remained.  The  view  of  the  ruin  far  exceed- 
ed our  expectations.  From  a  scene  of  broken  walls  en- 
tirely devoid  of  ornament,  we  came  suddenly  in  sight  of 
this  large  and  noble  pile  of  building.  The  arch  in  the 
centre  is,  according  to  our  measurement,  eighty-five  feet 
wide,  and  one  hundred  and  one  feet  high ;  the  curve  of 
the  arch  forms  a  large  parabola,  springing  from  about 
half  the  height ;  this  leads  to  a  vaulted  hall  of  the  same 
breadth  and  height,  one  hundred  and  fifty-seven  feet 
long;  this  is  the  only  portion  of  the  interior,  of  which 
the  roof  remains :  the  back  is  also  broken  down,  as  are 
fifteen  feet  towards  the  front:  the  ceiling  is  pierced  with 
a  number  of  holes  at  regular  distances,  which,  according 
to  our  conductors,  formerly  held  chandeliers.  The 
whole  is  built  of  well-made  kiln-burnt  bricks,  one  foot 
square  and  three  inches  thick ;  but  they  do  not,  as  is  ge- 
nerally asserted,  belong  to  the  Babylonian  ruins.  The 
massive  structure  of  the  whole  building  has  saved  it  from 
a  similar  fate  from  the  roof.  It  does  not  appear  to  have 
suffered  much  dilapidation  since  it  was  visited  by  Ives, 
in  1758;  and,  if  left  to  the  effect  of  time,  may  endure 
for  many  years.  The  walls  that  support  the  arch  are 
fifteen  feet  thick;  four  tiers  of  arches  remain,  diminishing 


82  TOMB  OF  SULEIMAN  PAUK. 

in  succession.  Tradition  asserts  that  the  palace,  when 
entire,  was  double  its  present  height. 

While  we  were  engaged  in  our  measurements,  a  Turk 
attended  by  a  large  suite,  dismounted  and  spread  his  mat 
near  us.  We  sat  down,  smoked  a  pipe  together,  and 
drank  some  coffee,  while  he  directed  one  of  his  atten- 
dants to  ascend  the  top  of  the  building,  a  work  of  some 
difficulty.  The  crowd  seemed  to  admire  our  measuring 
line,  and  the  facility  with  which  we  wrote  with  our  pen- 
cils. One  of  our  party,  in  opening  his  coat  to  look  for  a 
pencil,  discovered  to  the  by-standers  a  small  pistol  in  each 
waistcoat  pocket.  Significant  glances  were  exchanged 
by  the  crowd,  who  seemed  impressed  with  a  high  opin- 
ion of  our  desperate  courage,  from  having  concealed  arms 
about  us.  With  the  Asiatic  traveller,  his  weapons  of  de- 
fence are  the  most  conspicuous  appendages  of  his  dress, 
his  object  being  more  to  intimidate  the  robber  from  at- 
tempting an  assault  than  to  resist  when  attacked. 

From  the  ruins,  we  went  to  the  tomb  of  Suleiman 
Pauk,  wrhose  name  has  superseded  that  of  the  builder  of 
this  magnificent  pile,  in  giving  a  name  to  the  district. 
The  tomb  is  a  small  building  with  a  dome ;  the  interior 
(to  which  they  allowed  us  access,  on  our  pulling  off  our 
shoes,)  was  ornamented  with  arabesque  arches,  and  the 
surrounding  enclosure  was  used  as  a  caravanserai. 

Suleiman  Pauk,  or  Solomon  the  Clean,  was  the  con- 
temporary and  zealous  partisan  of  Mahomet,  and  is  now 
the  patron  saint  of  the  barbers,  who  came  from  Bagdad 
in  annual  procession  to  visit  his  tomb. 

Seleucia  stands  prominent  in  the  page  of  history,  as 
having  caused  the  final  destruction  of  Babylon.  On  the 
death  of  Alexander  the  Great,  which  happened  in  the 
latter  city  as  he  was  about  to  rebuild  the  Tower  of  Babel, 
his  immediate  successor  in  Asia,  Seleucus  Nicator,  built 
Seleucia  for  the  avowed  purpose  of  ruining  Babylon. 


SELEUCIA. CTESIPHON,  83 

The  spot  selected,  though  now  a  desert,  was  at  that  time 
the  most  fertile  of  the  East.  Seleucia,  which  became 
the  metropolis  of  Assyria,  was  formed  on  a  Greek  model, 
and  received  from  the  founder  a  free  constitution.  Such 
attractions  soon  drew  from  the  already  exhausted  Baby- 
lon its  few  remaining  inhabitants,  and  the  population  of 
the  new  city  increased  so  rapidly,  that,  according  to 
Pliny,  it  soon  amounted  to  six  hundred  thousand.  Seleu- 
cia continued  to  flourish  for  several  centuries ;  and  that 
author  who  lived  five  hundred  years  after  the  foundation, 
says,  that  even  in  his  time  it  still  enjoyed  the  blessings  of 
freedom — "  Libera  hodie  ac  sui  juris."* 

Meanwhile  Ctesiphon  appears  to  have  been  a  small 
town  on  the  opposite  bank.  As  the  Seleucians,  who 
were  a  free  people,  would  naturally  view  with  jealousy 
the  establishment  of  a  military  force  within  their  walls, 
the  monarchs  were  accustomed  to  quarter  in  Ctesiphon 
their  Scythian  soldiers,  who  performed  the  same  military 
service  at  that  period,  which  their  descendants,  the  wan- 
dering tribes,  do  for  the  soverigns  of  the  present  day. 

Seleucia  suffered  at  the  hands  of  the  Parthians  the 
same  fate  which  she  had  inflicted  on  Babylon.  Ctesi- 
phon, in  her  turn,  became  a  great  and  populous  city,  the 
capital  of  the  kingdom.  In  the  time  of  the  Emperor 
Julian,  she  was  in  the  zenith  of  her  glory;  and  the  re- 
collection becomes  more  interesting,  from  being  connect- 
ed with  the  history  of  that  singular  character,  the  splen- 
dour of  whose  great  and  good  qualties  has  been  obscured 
by  the  forbidding  though  well-merited  epithet  of  u  The 
Apostate." 

Ctesiphon  is  said  by  Ammianus  Marcellinus,  the  his- 
torian and  contemporary  of  Julian,  to  have  been  built  by 
Vardanes,  and  afterwards  beautified  and  walled  by  Pa- 

*  Plin.  lib.  6.  cap.  xxvi, 


84  IL  MEDAYX. 

corus,  a  Parthian  king.  This  city  is  by  some  supposed 
to  be  the  site  of  Calneh,  in  the  land  of  Shinar,  mention- 
ed in  Genesis:*  and  Pliny's  placing  Ctesiphon  in  Cha- 
lonitis,f  favours  the  idea.  Why  not,  too,  the  expression 
in  the  sixth  chapter  of  Amos,  applicable  to  this,  "  Pass 
ye  into  Calneh  and  see?" 

Ctesiphon  and  Seleucia  were  subsequently  united  un- 
der the  name  of  II  Medayn,  the  dual  number  of  an 
Arabic  word,  signifying  two  cities  which  Nooshirvan, 
sirnamed  Kisra  the  Just,  adorned  with  many  beautiful 
palaces,  the  principal  of  which  was  the  Tauk  or  Arch, 
which  I  have  described.  Gibbon  gives  a  detailed  account 
of  the  sacking  of  this  palace  by  the  Saracens,  and  of  the 
immense  wealth  found  within  the  walls.  The  barbarians 
seemed  struck  with  the  riches,  and,  as  they  entered,  ex- 
claimed, "  This  is  the  white  palace  of  Chosroes  ! — this 
is  the  promise  of  the  apostle  of  God !" 

We  returned  on  board  at  dusk,  intending  to  resume 
our  examination  next  day ;  but  Aboo  Nasir,  as  tipsy  as 
usual,  had  weighed  and  sailed  without  our  knowledge. 
Luckily  a  strong  breeze  sprank  up  from  the  southward, 
which  brought  us  in  the  morning  off  the  renowned  city 
of  Bagdad. 

March  21. — As  we  approached  the  suburbs,  the  no- 
velty of  our  dress  attracted  numbers  of  people  on  the 
bank.  There  were  several  women  in  the  crowd,  who 
did  not  scruple  to  lift  up  their  veils,  the  better  to  in- 
dulge their  curiosity.  Some  of  them  set  up  the  same 
kind  of  cry,  as  that  with  which  the  women  welcomed 
the  new  governor  into  Bussorah.     They  have  tolerably 

*  And  the  beginning  of  his  (Nimrod's)  kingdom  was  Babel,  and 
Erech,  and  Accad,  and  Calneh,  in  the  land  of  Shinar. — Chap.  x. 
ver.  10. 

f  Ctesiphontera  juxta  tertium  lapidem  in  Chalonitide  condiderc 
Parthi Plin.  lib.  vi.  cap.  xxvi.  p.  136. 


ARRIVAL  AT  BAGDAD.  85 

good  features,  but  their  pale  pink  complexions  strongly 
mark  their  state  of  habitual  seclusion.  Their  robes,  be- 
ing open  as  far  as  the  chest,  leave  the  person  considera- 
bly exposed. 

Our  boat  was  moored  near  the  gates  of  the  town.  An 
hour  after,  two  of  the  agent's  Tchousses  (avant-couriers) 
came  to  tell  us  that  the  horses  had  been  sent  to  Suleiman 
Pauk,  but  that  they  would  soon  return.  Hearing  this, 
we  proposed  walking ;  but  the  Tchousses  stared  with  as- 
tonishment at  the  idea  of  an  Englishman  compromising  his 
dignity  so  much,  as  to  walk  in  the  streets  at  noon-day. 
As  this  was  impracticable,  we  remained  for  another  hour, 
when  the  horses  arrived  at  last,  and  with  them  came  a 
host  of  attendants,  who  accompanied  us  into  Bagdad. 
One  of  them,  a  mounted  Tchouss,  went  before  us  with 
his  baton  of  office,  a  silver  stick  surmounted  with  a  gilt 
ball  of  filigree  work.  Our  horses'  bridles  were  very 
handsomely  ornamented,  and  the  furniture  of  our  sad- 
dles, which  covered  nearly  the  whole  body  of  the  horse, 
consisted  of  velvet  studded  with  gilt  and  silver  knobs. 
In  short,  we  entered  the  city  with  a  state  that  would 
have  better  befitted  ambassadors  than  private  travellers,, 

We  were  received  with  much  attention  by  Aga 
Saikeis,  the  British  agent.  Shortly  after  our  arrival, 
the  Pasha's  secretary  sent  a  message  welcoming  us  to 
Bagdad,  and  apologizing  for  not  visiting  us  in  person. 

On  meeting  with  Mr.  Hamilton,  he  gave  us  a  lively 
description  of  his  journey  across  the  Desert,  which  we 
here  repeat,  to  help  the  choice  of  a  future  traveller  be- 
tween the  land  and  water  journey. 

"  On  the  18th,  Mr.  Hamilton  passed  through  several 
encampments  of  Arabs,  from  whom  he  experienced  all 
those  rites  of  hospitality  for  which  those  tribes  are  cele- 
brated. He  describes  the  plain  as  being  in  some  parts 
quite  alive  with  numerous  encampments  and  their  atten- 

11 


86  JOURNEY  ACROSS  THE  DESERT. 

dant  herds  of  camels,  oxen,  and  horses.  At  nine  in  the 
evening,  he  came  to  the  bed  of  a  very  broad  canal,  the 
banks  of  which  are  thirty  feet  high. 

He  saw  vast  quantities  of  birds,  called  bitterns,  of 
which  the  Scriptures  tell  us  that  Babylonia  was  to  be- 
come the  possession. 

He  met  an  Arab  Bey,  attended  by  four  men  well  arm- 
ed and  mounted;  these  carried  hawks  on  their  wrists, 
and  were  followed  by  several  greyhounds.  Mr.  Hamil- 
ton drank  coffee  with  his  new  acquaintance  out  of  cups 
with  gold  saucers.  The  Bey  was  very  civil,  and  promis- 
ed to  show  him  some  good  hawking  on  a  future  occasion. 

He  slept  the  first  part  of  the  night  in  the  tent  of  an 
Arab,  the  father  of  two  beautiful  girls.  A  sheep  was 
brought  to  the  tent  door,  and  milked  by  one  of  his  fair 
hostesses ;  a  carpet  was  spread  for  him  in  the  upper  part 
of  the  tent,  a  fire  was  lighted,  and  he  was  regaled  with 
pipes,  coffee,  milk,  butter,  and  a  sheep  roasted  whole. 
He  bivouacked  from  one  till  three  o'clock  in  the  morn- 
ing, to  rest  his  cattle.  On  resuming  the  march,  the  cold 
was  so  intense,  that  his  party  were  obliged  to  alight  from 
their  horses  and  make  a  fire  with  some  brushwood  they 
found  in  the  jungle.  The  heat  during  the  day  had  been 
nearly  insupportable,  and  the  opposite  extreme  at  this 
time  brings  to  mind  Jacob's  spirited  remonstrance  with 
his  father-in-law,  Laban,  when  in  a  similar  situation. 
I  In  the  day  the  drought  consumed  me,  and  the  frost  by 
night.'  * 

They  were  all  huddled  round  the  fire,  when  a  soldier 
gave  the  alarm  of  robbers.  They  were  up  in  arms  in  a 
moment ;  but  the  enemy,  on  seeing  their  numbers,  made 
off. 

On  the  19th,  he  saw  the  ruins  of  a  circular  building; 

'  Gen.  xxi.  verse  40. 


ARAB  BEY.  87 

which,  from  its  description,  must  have  resembled  that  we 
saw  on  the  banks  of  the  Tigris.*  It  was  forty  feet  in  di- 
ameter, and  built  of  red  bricks  fourteen  inches  square. 

Every  flock  of  sheep  that  he  saw  in  the  night  was  at- 
tended by  three  or  four  armed  men.  At  midnight  he 
reached  another  encampment,  and  met  with  treatment  si- 
milar to  that  of  the  night  before. 

The  Arab,  in  whose  tent  he  was  breakfasting,  was  told 
by  a  boy,  that  a  party  had  carried  off  some  of  his  sheep : 
he  seized  his  sword  and  spear,  snatched  a  musket  from 
one  of  the  soldiers,  mounted  his  horse  bare-backed,  and 
in  one  moment  was  scouring  across  the  Desert. 

They  resumed  their  march  on  the  morning  of  the 
20th,  and  reached  Bagdad  in  the  afternoon." 

In  the  evening,  we  went  to  the  Hummaum,  (hot  bath) 
not  quietly  as  we  wished,  but  with  the  same  retinue  as  in 
the  morning.  A  Turkish  Hummaum  has  been  so  often 
described,  that  it  will  be  sufficient  to  mention  our  having 
undergone  the  whole  process  of  kneading,  cracking  joints, 
and  champooing.  After  the  bath,  we  were,  by  the  civil- 
ty  of  Aga  Saikeis,  regaled  with  iced  water,  pipes,  coffee, 
and  sherbet;  we  were  then  sprinkled  with  rose-water; 
and  frankincense  was  brought  us  to  perfume  our  musta- 
ches. 

March  22. — We  received  a  visit  next  morning  from 
the  chief  of  the  artillery  to  the  Pasha  of  Bagdad.  He  was 
a  tall  thin  man,  about  sixty  years  of  age ;  his  weather- 
beaten  face  had  been  bronzed  by  a  long  exposure  to  an 
Eastern  sun;  formidable  white  mustaches  graced  his  up- 
per lip;  and  over  his  eyes  were  a  pair  of  ferocious  bushy 
eye-brows,  the  peculiar  elevation  of  which  infallibly 
stamped  him  a  Frenchman. 

The  variety  observable  in  his  dress  marked  the  true 

*  Vide  page  76. 


88  CHIEF  OF  ARTILLERY. 

Soldado :  the  buttons  of  his  coat  were  adorned  with  the 
imperial  crown  and  initial  of  Napoleon ;  from  the  but- 
ton-hole was  suspended  a  croix  of  Louis  the  Desired ; 
and  a  flaming  pair  of  capacious  Turkish  trowsers  bespoke 
his  present  service.  The  top  of  this  gaunt  figure  was 
crowned  with  a  small  hat,  which  rested  on  his  left  ear. 

With  the  volubility  which  so  strongly  characterizes 
his  nation,  he  dilated  on  every  subject.  Hearing  my 
name  mentioned,  he  inquired  of  me  if  I  was  related  to 
"  the  unfortunate  Keppel."  Perceiving  that  he  con- 
founded the  fate  of  the  two  admirals,*  I  attempted  to 
convince  him  that  it  was  Byng,  and  not  Keppel,  who  had 
been  unfortunate,  but  he  interrupted  me  with  a  " par- 
donnez;"  and  assured  the  company  that  an  English 
friend  of  his  threw  up  his  commission  in  consequence  of 
Keppel's  execution. 

*  Admiral  Byng  was  tried  and  executed  in  1757.  Admiral 
Keppel  was  tried  and  acquitted  in  1779,  and  in  1782,  was  made 
First  Lord  of  the  Admiralty. 


THE  PASHA'S  GARDEN. 


X£f 


CHAPTER  VIIL 


The  Pasha's  Garden — Armenian  Church — Our  Host's  Policy — ■ 
Monastery  of  Calendars — Tomb  of  Zobeide — Visit  to  the  Cath- 
olic Bishop  of  Bagdad — Anecdote — Journey  to  Babylon — Our 
Establishment — Description  of  a  Caravanserai — Our  first  Night's 
Lodging. 

In  the  afternoon  we  visited  one  of  the  Pasha's  gardens 
— our  heads  full  of  the  splendid  descriptions  in  the 
Arabian  Nights.  Though  not  so  sanguine  as  to  expect 
a  garden  like  that  in  which  Ibrahim  entertained  the  fair 
Persian,  we  hoped  at  least  to  see  something  like  Eastern 
magnificence  in  the  summer  retreat  of  a  three-tailed 
Basha.  We  were  doomed  to  be  disappointed.  The 
garden,  comprising  eight  or  ten  acres,  and  enclosed 
within  a  mud  wall,  contained  a  confused  assemblage  of 
shrubs  and  fruit-trees.  A  summer-house  on  the  banks 
of  the  Tigris,  well  worthy  of  the  garden,  was  a  rickety 
little  building,  where  dirt,  damp,  and  neglect,  had  ob- 
literated nearly  every  trace  of  the  fresco  daubings  of 
flowers,  with  which  the  walls  had  once  been  decorated. 

To  compensate  in  some  degree  for  this  destruction  of 
our  air-built  castles,  we  had,  from  the  windows  of  the 
summer-house,  a  fine  view  of  Bagdad  and  its  neighbour- 
hood. 

In  our  way  home,  we  stopped  in  a  small  by-street  to 
visit  the  Armenian  church,  which  looked,  indeed,  as  if 


90  ARMENIAN  CHURCH. 

it  belonged  to  a  despised  and  persecuted  religion ;  and 
gave  us  an  idea  of  what  our  churches  might  have  been 
in  the  early  times  of  Christianity.  The  door  by  which 
we  entered  was  not  above  five  feet  high,  and  the  exteri- 
or of  the  building  had  nothing  to  distinguish  it  from  the 
humble  dwellings  in  its  neighbourhood.  An  old  grey- 
bearded  priest  admitted  us  through  an  inner  court  into 
the  church.  It  was  a  small  narrow  apartment ;  at  the 
east  end  stood  an  altar,  decorated  with  faded  silk  and 
silver  tinsel ;  a  few  wax  tapers  on  the  tables  were  light- 
ed by  the  priest,  who  seemed  anxious  that  his  church 
should  be  seen  to  the  best  advantage.  A  few  paltry 
daubs  hung  upon  the  walls,  executed  with  the  true  East- 
tern  contempt  for  perspective.  One  represented  Abra- 
ham about  to  sacrifice  Isaac,  with  the  anachronism  of  the 
Crucifixion  of  our  Saviour  in  the  back-ground. 

In  the  course  of  conversation,  we  mentioned  to  Aga 
Saikeis  our  wish  to  be  acquainted  with  the  Pasha  of 
Bagdad.  Perceiving  his  unwillingness  to  introduce  us, 
we  pressed  him  for  his  reasons ;  and  were  not  a  little 
surprised  to  find,  that  our  omitting  to  call  upon  the 
Pasha  was  to  form  a  part  of  a  plan  he  had  in  view  to 
frighten  that  potentate,  and,  by  so  doing,  to  render  him 
subservient  to  his  own  purposes. 

To  explain  our  host's  policy,  it  may  be  mentioned, 
that  some  time  before  our  arrival  at  Bussorah,  Captain 
Taylor,  the  political  agent,  had,  for  some  infraction  of 
the  treaty  on  the  part  of  the  Pasha,  hauled  down  the 
British  flag,  and  did  not  intend  to  hoist  it  again  till  he 
had  received  instructions  from  the  Indian  Government. 
Shortly  after  this,  the  Alligator  had  arrived  at  Bussorah, 
and  the  Pasha's  brother  had  taken  possession  of  his  gov- 
ernment. 


OUR  host's  policy.  91 

A  British  man-of-war  anchoring  off  Bussorah  was  an 
event  so  unusual,  that  it  struck  alarm  into  the  mind  of 
the  new  governor,  who,  soon  after  our  visit,  wrote  to  his 
brother  at  Bagdad,  informing  him  that  a  king's  ship  had 
arrived  for  some  especial  purpose;  that  a  large  European 
force  was  on  board  (so  he  termed  the  marines;;  and  that 
four  Europeans  (meaning  our  party)  were  about  to  pro- 
ceed to  Persia  through  Bagdad,  as  he  surmised,  on  some 
political  mission. 

These  concurring,  though  accidental  circumstances, 
were  such  as  would  naturally  alarm  an  Asiatic,  ignorant 
of  our  customs.  It  was  with  a  view  of  keeping  alive 
these  fears,  that  Aga  Saikeis  wished  to  prevent  our 
waiting  upon  the  Pasha  ;  by  which  he  intended  to  make 
it  appear,  that  we,  the  pseudo-diplomatists,  had  received 
instructions  from  our  Government  thus  to  express  a  nega- 
tive disapprobation  of  the  Pasha's  conduct. 

March  23. — Mr.  Hamilton  and  I  went  this  morning 
to  the  opposite  bank,  to  visit  a  monastery  of  wandering 
dervishes,  called  Calendars,  of  which  sect  mention  is 
made  in  the  Arabian  Nights.  The  bridge,  which  we 
crossed  on  horseback,  had  a  somewhat  alarming  appear- 
ance. It  was  formed  by  a  number  of  boats,  irregularly 
fastened  together,  and  surmounted  by  a  narrow  platform 
made  of  the  trunks  of  date- trees.  This,  in  many  places, 
was  full  of  holes  ;  and,  as  there  was  no  balustrade,  and  a 
crowd  was  constantly  passing  to  and  fro,  the  slightest 
start  of  our  horses  would  have  precipitated  us  into  the 
river.  When  the  wind  sets  in  at  the  S.  E.,  the  bridge 
becomes  impassable,  and  the  communication  between 
Bagdad  and  its  suburbs  is  suspended  for  several  days. 

At  a  quarter  of  a  mile  from  the  bridge  is  the  monas- 
tery, presenting  the  appearance  of  substantial  neatness. 


92  A  MONASTERY  OF  CALENDARS. 

On  the  walls  are  numerous  inscriptions  in  the  Arabic  and 
Cufic  characters,  and  one  of  considerable  length  over  the 
gateway.  In  the  court-yard  are  a  number  of  fruit-trees, 
principally  the  orange  and  the  vine. 

On  dismounting  from  our  horses,  we  were  conducted 
to  the  Sheikh  Calendar  (the  Superior  of  the  monastery.) 
He  was  seated  on  a  tiger's  skin,  in  a  room  describing 
three  sides  of  a  square  of  twTenty- eight  feet,  and  about 
forty  high.  We  saw  fixed  on  the  walls  several  rude 
iron  instruments,  which  had  been  implements  of  war 
prior  to  the  use  of  fire-arms,  and  had  been  presented 
to  the  monastery  by  various  contributors.  There  were 
also  some  brass  urns,  a  number  of  ostrich  eggs,  and  some 
white  stones,  fixed  in  the  walls.  The  Sheikh  wore  a 
low  drab  cloth  turban,  bound  round  with  green,  called 
the  tajee  derveishaun  (dervish's  cap ;)  the  other  Calen- 
dars had  caps  of  a  similar  shape,  with  red  tassels.  From 
the  neck  of  each  Calendar  were  suspended  a  circular 
onyx-stone,  with  indented  edges,  somewhat  bigger  than 
a  crown-piece  (this  was  called  the  sung-i-tulsim,  or  ta- 
lismanic  stone,)  and  one  somewhat  larger,  called  the 
$ung-i-canaut  (the  stone  of  repose,)  emblematic  of  the 
peaceful  life  of  the  wearer.  Round  the  waist  was  worn 
a  stone  of  an  oval  form,  called  the  Kumberia,  which  ac- 
companies the  wearer  to  the  grave. 

The  Sheikh  was  a  clever  talkative  little  man,  and 
possessed  that  agreeable  vivacity  and  store  of  anecdote 
which  are  occasionally  found  in  men  who  have  had 
much  intercourse  with  the  world.  He  had  seen  vari- 
ous countries,  and  spoke  Persian  with  great  fluency — in 
which  language  we  conversed.  On  our  approaching  him, 
he  vociferated  a  dozen  doggrel  rhymes  in  token  of  his 
self-abasement,  calling  himself  a  Jew,  an  infidel,  a  rogue, 


A  MONASTERY  OF  CALENDARS.  93 

and  a  drunkard.  As  he  repeated  these  frequently,  I 
caught  the  following  lines,  which  may  serve  as  a  speci- 
men of  the  metre : — 


Herkeh  puoshum 

J5aud-i-no6shum 

Meeferooshum. 


He  next  began  a  long  speech,  thanking  us  for  the  ho- 
nour we  had  conferred  on  a  poor  dervish  who  had  quit- 
ted the  world;  though,  from  his  lively  conversation, 
there  was  little  of  the  anchorite  perceptible  in  him. 
We  were  very  anxious  to  learn  some  account  of  his  Or- 
der; but  he  was  so  fond  of  hearing  himself  talk,  that  we 
were  obliged  to  let  him  have  his  own  way.  He  dwelt 
much  on  the  forbearing  and  pacific  doctrine  of  the  Ca- 
lendars' code ;  and  told  us  that  for  a  blow  given  no  blow 
would  be  returned,  but  the  simple  ejaculation  of  "God's 
will  be  done!"  We  observed,  however,  that  no  Calen- 
dar was  without  a  dagger  in  his  girdle.  He  informed  us 
the  monastery  was  built  by  the  Caliph  Haroun  Alras- 
chid,  nine  hundred  and  twenty-five  years  ago:  he  also 
showed  us  a  picture,  which  he  said  was  intended  to  re- 
present the  circumstance  of  a  European  king  coming  to 
pay  his  respects  to  the  King  of  the  Calendars.  In  the 
adjoining  room  we  were  shown  a  small  niche,  in  which 
the  Calendars  are  supposed  to  sit.  It  was  covered  with 
Arabic  inscriptions — most  probably  quotations  from  the 
Koraun. 

On  returning  to  the  first  room,  the  Sheikh  gave  us 
pipes  and  coffee,  and  an  excellent  breakfast  of  milk, 
dates,  and  sweetmeats;  after  which  we  took  our  leave, 
much  pleased  with  the  eccentricity  of  our  reception. 

The  Arabian  Nights  furnish  but  few  details  respect- 

12 


94  TOMB  OF  ZOBEIDE. 

ing  this  Order:  the  only  place  in  which  they  are  men- 
tioned, is  the  story  in  which  three  sons  of  kings,  all 
blind  of  the  right  eye,  assume  the  habits  of  Calendars, 
and  sup  with  the  three  sisters,  where  they  meet  Haroun 
Alraschid,  the  Vizier  Giaffer,  and  Mesrour,  the  chief 
of  the  Eunuchs.  These  Calendars  were  said  to  have 
shaved  their  beards  and  eye-brows ;  by  which  it  would 
seem,  that  formerly  such  a  custom  formed  a  part  of  the 
duties  of  a  Calendar,  but  I  was  not  able  to  extract  from 
our  talkative  host  any  elucidation  of  this  custom.  The 
Calendars,  so  called  from  Calendar,  the  name  of  their 
founder,  are  a  sect  of  Mahometan  dervishes,  whose  de- 
bauched morals  and  vagabond  habits  give  great  offence 
to  their  more  orthodox  brethren.  They  wander  as  men- 
dicants over  all  parts  of  Asia.  In  India  they  wear  a 
party-coloured  dress,  to  denote,  as  I  should  suppose, 
their  extreme  poverty. 

In  returning  home,  we  visited  the  tomb  of  Zobeide, 
the  wife  of  Haroun  Alraschid :  even  when  new,  it  must 
have  been  very  Inferior  to  what  we  should  naturally 
have  expected  in  honour  of  the  favourite  of  so  renown- 
ed a  caliph.  The  building  under  which  Zobeide  lies 
buried,  is  a  column  formed  of  a  pyramid  of  polygons  of 
thirty  feet  high,  decreasing  in  number  of  sides  towards 
the  vertex.  The  interior  of  this  building  is  seven  pa- 
ces and  a  half  wide;  in  it  are  three  tombs  of  brick- 
work, in  a  very  dilapidated  state,  containing  the  bodies 
of  the  mother  of  one  Pasha,  and  the  son  of  another :  in 
the  third  is  all  that  now  remains  of  the  once  beautiful 
Zobeide.  There  is  no  appearance  of  any  inscription  to 
perpetuate  her  memory:  the  only  one  visible  in  the 
building  was  to  Ali  Bey,  the  son  of  Mohumud  Pasha ; 
nor  were  there  any  traces  of  ornamental  work,  so  com- 
mon in  the  Arabic  buildings. 


VISIT  TO  THE  CATHOLIC  BISHOP.  95 

We  have  been  kept  such  close  prisoners,  ever  since 
our  arrival  in  Bagdad,  that  we  have  not  been  permitted 
to  leave  the  house  without  a  numerous  train  of  attendants. 
Against  this  ridiculous  and  petty  annoyance  remon- 
strance has  been  tried  without  effect.  We  are  answer- 
ed by  an  appeal  to  our  pride,  that  "  the  English  name 
is  great  in  Bagdad,"  and  that  it  would  be  wrong  in  us 
to  compromise  it,  by  doing  any  thing  so  derogatory  to 
the  Turkish  ideas  of  great  men,  as  to  go  into  the  streets 
unattended.  It  is  in  vain  that  we  tell  Aga  Saikeis  that 
such  observations  are  inapplicable  to  private  travellers 
like  ourselves,  who  have  no  wish  to  be  taken  for  great 
men:  but  no;  he  is  deaf  to  our  entreaties  for  liberty; 
and  we  are  obliged  to  submit  with  the  best  grace  we 
can.  This  evening  we  wished  to  see  a  mosque  that  had 
been  built  by  Haroun  Alraschid;  and  knowing  that  a 
large  retinue  would  attract  a  crowd,  we  tried  to  escape 
from  our  guard,  and  to  steal  out  unperceived,  but  with- 
out success;  our  persecutors  soon  overtook,  and  prece- 
ded us  as  usual.  These  men,  thinking  it  impossible  that 
we  could  go  out  except  on  a  visit  of  ceremony,  conduct- 
ed us  by  mistake  to  the  house  of  the  Catholic  Bishop  of 
Bagdad.  This  gentleman  had  been  sent  out  by  the 
French  Government,  and,  as  it  is  supposed,  will  shortly 
be  appointed  Consul  for  that  nation. 

We  found  in  the  Bishop,  all  that  politeness  and  viva- 
city which  form  the  characteristics  of  the  Frenchman. 
Although  we  were  at  first  disappointed  at  not  finding 
the  object  of  our  search,  we  soon  forgot  our  chagrin,  by 
listening  to  his  agreeable  conversation. 

The  Bishop  detailed  to  us,  with  considerable  humour, 
the  account  of  his  journey  by  the  caravan,  across  the 
Desert,  from  Aleppo  to  this  place.  He  told  us  that  he 
had  been  robbed  three  times  by  the  wandering  tribes. 


9G  OUR  ESTABLISHMENT. 

On  one  of  these  occasions,  the  robbers,  seeing  him  with 
a  very  neat  and  clean  pair  of  boots,  were  so  polite  and 
obliging  as  to  take  them  off  his  feet,  without  giving  him 
the  trouble  to  dismount :  at  the  same  time  one  of  the 
gang  was  about  to  seize  a  small  chest  containing  all  his 
valuables;  but  this  was  saved,  by  one  of  the  fellow's 
comrades  desiring  him  to  leave  it  alone,  as  it  only  con- 
tained medicines,  or,  according  to  the  Bishop's  version 
of  the  story,  "  Bah  !  c*est  itn  Franc,  il  rta  que  la  me- 
dicine" 

March  24. — At  four  this  afternoon,  our  arrangements 
being  complete  for  our  visit  to  the  ruins  of  Babylon,  we 
left  Bagdad  with  the  buoyant  spirit  of  schoolboys  break- 
ing up  for  the  holidays,  so  pleased  were  we  at  leaving 
our  state-prison,  and  exchanging  it  for  the  pure  air  of 
the  Desert. 

Our  present  establishment  consisted  of  the  Syyud, 
who  continued  to  officiate  as  cook ;  Yacoot  the  Ethiopian, 
who,  upon  our  drawing  lots  for  him,  fell  to  Mr.  Hart ; 
Yusuf,  an  Armenian,  was  Mr.  Lamb's  servant ;  Mohu- 
mud  Ali,  Mr.  Hamilton's ;  and  Hajee  Ali,  my  own. 
As  we  had  frequently  to  speak  of  our  servants  in  their 
presence,  and  as  some  of  them  understood  English,  we 
deemed  it  necessary  to  designate  each  by  some  epithet 
which  he  could  not  understand  :  thus,  we  called  the 
Syyud,  "  the  Descendant  of  the  Prophet ;"  the  Ethi- 
opian, "  the  Raven,"  from  his  hoarse  voice  and  black 
colour ;  the  Armenian,  the  "  Dandy,"  from  the  care  he 
paid  to  his  toilet ;  Mohumud  Ali,  the  well  deserved  ap- 
pellation of  i(  the  Policon  ;"  and  Hajee  Ali,  "  the  Ca- 
mel," from  the  resemblance  his  face  and  figure  bore  to 
that  animal. 

Some  apology  is  necessary  for  introducing  these  vaga- 
bonds to  notice;  but  they  occasionally  afforded  much 


JOURNKY  TO  BABYLON.  97 

amusement  to  us,  and  often  dissipated  the  ennui  of  a  dull 
and  oppressive  march.  In  addition  to  these,  who  were 
well  armed  and  mounted,  we  took  with  us  our  old  friend 
and  messmate,  Aboo  Nasir,  the  mounted  Tchous  of  Aga 
Saikeis,  and  six  of  our  old  Arab  guard,  who  were  also 
mounted  and  armed  at  all  points ;  a  precaution  more 
than  usually  necessary,  from  the  circumstance  of  a  cara- 
van having  been  plundered  only  two  days  previous  to 
our  march. 

Each  of  our  party  rode  his  own  horse,  and  mules  were 
hired  to  carry  our  attendants ;  we  also  had  a  firman  (or- 
der) from  the  Pasha,  to  be  supplied  with  whatever  we 
might  require  on  the  journey. 

The  traveller  finds  himself  in  the  Desert  the  moment 
he  is  outside  the  walls  of  Bagdad.  The  first  part  of  the 
road  is  a  beaten  track,  formed  by  the  constant  journey- 
ing of  pilgrims  to  the  tomb  of  their  patron  Saint,  Ali, 
the  cousin  of  Mahomet,  who  is  buried  to  the  westward 
of  Babylon,  at  Meshed  Ali,  to  which  place  he  has  given 
the  name.  Fully  to  appreciate  the  pleasure  of  our  mode 
of  travelling — and  while  the  novelty  lasted,  it  was  not 
without  its  charms — all  ideas  of  European  expedition  or 
comfort  must  be  set  aside.  We  seldom  went  faster  than 
a  foot-pace,  and  the  stoppages  were  so  numerous,  from 
the  laziness  and  inattention  of  our  muleteers,  that  our 
rate  rarely  exceeded  two  miles  an  hour. 

Before  dark,  we  saw  Tauk  Kisra,  about  six  miles  to 
the  E.  At  two  fursukhs*  from  Bagdad,  we  passed  the 
caravanserai  of  Kiahya  Khan,  which  from  its  vicinity  to 
the  city,  is  seldom  used.  One  of  these  caravanserais  is 
to  be  found  at  the  distance  of  two  fursukhs  from  the 


*  The  fursukh,  by  the  Greeks  spelt  pstpxwyw  parasangus,  com- 
prised thirty  stadia,  about  four  English  miles. 


98  DESCRIPTION  OF  A  CARAVANSERAI. 

other,  the  whole  way  between  Bagdad  and  Meshed  Ali : 
they  have  been  erected  by  the  piety  of  some  rich  Per- 
sian pilgrims,  for  the  benefit  of  their  countrymen  in  gen- 
eral. From  the  earliest  periods  caravanserais  have  been 
established  in  Oriental  countries,  and  at  about  the  same 
distance  from  each  other,  as  at  present.  Herodotus  enu- 
merates one  hundred  and  eleven  of  these  stathmi,  or 
mansions,  in  the  dominions  of  the  King  of  Persia,  all  of 
which  he  describes  as  being  beautiful  and  splendid. 

At  nine  in  the  evening  we  arrived  at  Assad  Khan, 
where  we,  or  rather  our  servants,  found  the  best  accom- 
modations occupied  by  other  travellers,  who,  by  virtue 
of  the  Pasha's  firman,  were  unceremoniously  turned  out 
to  make  way  for  us.  This  caravanserai,  which  differed 
but  little  from  any  that  we  afterwards  saw,  was  a  quad- 
rangular building,  with  a  court-yard.  In  the  centre  was 
a  square,  comprising  about  forty  feet  of  solid  masonry, 
raised  three  feet,  called  the  Bauri  Kesh,  for  travellers' 
baggage.  The  entire  building  occupied  about  two  acres 
of  ground ;  a  range  of  cloisters,  having  a  succession  of 
recesses  ten  feet  in  breadth  and  height,  served  either  as 
apartments  for  travellers,  or  as  mangers  for  their  cattle 
— to  both  of  which  purposes  we  applied  them. 

Having  arrived  some  hours  after  dark,  completely  ha- 
rassed by  travelling  by  night,  we  had  to  wait  for  some 
time  before  we  could  procure  a  light.  The  fire  that  was 
boiling  water  for  our  tea,  nearly  suffocated  us  with  its 
smoke ;  our  mules,  which  were  close  to  us,  almost  stun- 
ned us  with  the  incessant  jingling  of  their  bells ;  our 
servants  kept  up  a  constant  and  angry  chattering ;  our 
horses,  a  loud  and  continual  neigh ;  while  we,  by  our 
bitter  lamentations,  added  to  the  general  discord.  Our 
beds,  composed  only  of  Persian  carpets,  were  but  a  poor 
defence,  to  our  bruised  bones,  against  the  hardness  and 


our  night's  lodging.  99 

unevenness  of  the  ill- paved  floor.  If  to  these  grie- 
vances were  added  the  attacks  of  myriads  of  fleas,  which 
did  not  leave  us  till  they  had  marked  us  like  lepers,  it 
will  be  allowed  that  we  must  have  passed  any  thing 
but  an  agreeable  night. 


100'  MODE  OF  TRAVELLING. 


CHAPTER  IX. 

Bir-iunus — Caravans  of  Persian  Pilgrims — Mode  of  Travelling — 
Women — Corpses — Coffins — Iskanderia— Earthenware  Coffins 
— Mohowel — An  old  Man  and  his  Wives — Distant  appearance 
of  the  Ruins  of  Babylon — Reasons  for  supposing  the  Ruins  to 
be  those  of  Babylon — Causes  of  Deterioration — Mujillebe 
Mound — Illustration  of  the  Prophecy  of  Isaiah — Hilleh — Po- 
pulation— Musjid  Eshams — Babylonian  inscriptions — Bricks- 
Cylinders — Throwing  the  Jereed — Sham  fight — Tower  of  Babel 
— Babylonian  boats — Earthenware  tombs — Statue  of  a  Lion — - 
Hanging  Gardens — Palace. 

At  daylight  the  following  morning  we  left  our  com- 
fortless lodging,  and  stopped  to  breakfast  at  Bir-iunus, 
another  caravanserai,  eight  miles  distant.  At  these  halt- 
ing-places the  traveller  is  always  sure  of  being  supplied, 
at  a  moderate  price,  with  eggs,  poultry,  dates,  sweet 
limes,  and  generally  with  mutton  and  kid. 

We  saw,  in  the  course  of  the  day,  various  caravans  of 
Persians ;  some  going  to,  and  others  returning  from, 
their  pilgrimage.  We  were  much  gratified  by  the  pic- 
turesque appearance  of  these  passing  groups. 

The  higher  class  of  Persians  were  generally  mounted 
on  good  horses,  unencumbered  by  any  burthen  except 
the  apparatus  of  the  kuleoon,  or  Persian  pipe.  Two  or 
three  servants,  mounted  on  horses  lightly  laden  with 
baggage,  formed  the  suite  of  one  person.  The  equi- 
pages are  always  very  light — a  Persian  rejecting,  as 
superfluous,  many  travelling  articles  that  would  with  us 
be  deemed  indispensable.  The  bed,  for  instance,  is  a 
small  carpet  of  the  size  of  a  hearth-rug. 


MODE  OF  TRAVELLING. CORPSES.  10l 

In  each  caravan,  the  women  comprised  ahout  a  third 
of  the  party.  The  wives  of  the  rich  rode  astride  on 
horses ;  those  of  the  poorer  class  were  either  placed  on 
the  baggage-cattle,  or  seated  in  a  pair  of  covered  pan- 
niers slung  across  a  mule — one  woman  in  each  pannier. 
The  most  remarkable,  and  not  the  least  numerous  part  of 
this  assemblage,  was  the  crowd  of  defunct  Shiahs,  whose 
corpses  were  going  to  be  buried  at  the  tomb  of  the  pa^- 
tron  Saint.  These  bodies  were  enclosed  in  common 
wooden  coffins,  in  shape  and  size  not  unlike  those  used 
by  the  lower  orders  in  England :  two  of  them  were  slung 
across  one  mule.  One  man  had  generally  the  charge  of 
six  or  eight  bodies. 

The  men  who  convey  these  corpses  to  Meshed  All  are 
not  the  relations  of  the  deceased  parties,  but  persons  who 
gain  a  livelihood  by  this  peculiar  occupation. 

No  order  of  march  seemed  to  be  observed  in  the  cara- 
vans— the  living  and  dead  were  indiscriminately  jumbled 
together.  Often,  when  halted  for  the  night,  the  coffins 
were  thrown  down  in  the  first  vacant  space  in  the  cara- 
vanserai, and  the  bodies,  though  embalmed,  were  not  so 
impervious  to  a  burning  sun  as  to  be  free  from  a  most 
disagreeable  smell.  According  to  Niebuhr,  two  thou- 
sand dead  and  five  thousand  living  annually  go  to  Meshed 
Ali.  Besides  the  corpses  which  come  direct  from  Persia 
for  interment,  many  are  brought  from  India  for  the  same 
purpose. 

Three  miles  from  Bir-iunus,  the  road  branches  off  in  a 
south-west  direction  to  Meshed  Ali.  At  twelve  o'clock 
we  came  to  a  caravanserai,  which,  in  common  with  the 
district,  is  called  Iskanderia.  Iskanderia,  or  Roomia, 
are  names  given  by  Oriental  nations  to  the  remains  of 
towns  supposed  to  have  been  built  by  Alexander  the 
Great,  who  is  well  known  in  the  East,  as  Iskander  Roo- 

13 


102  1SKA  N  J )E  R  r A .— M0HO  W  EL. 

mee  {Alexander  of  Greece.)  Here  we  saw  large  and 
extensive  mounds,  exhibiting  the  same  appearance  as  the 
ruins  of  Seleueia  and  Ctesiphon.  A  quarter  of  a  mile  to 
the  northward  of  these  mounds,  and  in  a  situation  that 
would  have  constituted  the  exterior  of  the  town,  we  saw 
some  circular  earthenware  vessels,  similar  to  those  con- 
taining human  bones,  which  we  had  seen  on  the  banks  of 
the  Tigris  on  the  13th  of  March. 

From  the  name  of  the  place,  and  its  vicinity  to  Baby- 
lon, it  seems  fair  to  infer  that  these  mounds  are  the  re- 
mains of  some  town  built  by  Alexander  the  Great,  al- 
though no  mention  is  made  in  ancient  authors  of  a  city 
on  this  precise  spot.  The  nearest  town,  of  the  name  of 
Alexandria,  is  placed  by  D'Anville  on  the  banks  of  the 
Pallacopa. 

If  we  consider  the  ease  and  facility  with  which  Alex- 
ander built  such  towns  as  Alexandria,  on  the  banks  of  the 
Iaxartes,  said  to  be  in  circumference  three  leagues,  the 
ramparts  and  houses  of  which  were,  according  to  Rollin, 
completed  in  twenty  days, — it  is  not  unreasonable  to 
suppose  that  he  might  have  built  a  town  in  the  neigh- 
bourhood of  his  capital,  though  no  mention  should  be 
made  of  it  by  his  contemporaries. 

In  the  evening  we  arrived  at  a  caravanserai,  called 
Mohowel.  A  squinting  old  man  came  in  shortly  after, 
attended  by  four  women,  to  one  of  whom  he  gave  a  good 
beating  for  turning  back  to  look  at  our  party.  On  dis- 
mounting from  their  horses,  the  four  women  retired  to 
one  of  the  small  recesses,  and  were  concealed  from  the 
rest  of  the  company  by  a  curtain  placed  before  it. 

Within  a  mile  of  the  caravanserai  is  the  bed  of  a  large 
canal,  and  near  it  a  considerable  mound  of  bricks.  Mr. 
Hart;  and  some  of  our  servants,  picked  up  two  or  three 
copper  coins,  but  they  were  so  thickly  incrusted  with 


RUINS   OF   BABYLON.  103 

verdigrise,  that  the  impressions  were  undecipherable. 
I  found  a  brick,  with  an  inscription  in  the  arrow-headed 
characters :  it  was  coated  with  a  vitrified,  or  bituminous 
substance,  of  so  hard  a  composition,  that  I  broke  the 
brick  in  attempting  to  chip  a  bit  off. 

From  this  place,  the  ruins  of  the  once  mighty  Baby- 
lon are  distinctly  visible,  presenting  the  appearance  of  a 
number  of  irregular  and  mis-shapen  hills.  Fourteen 
miles  to  the  N.  N.  E.  is  the  Tower  of  Babel,  now 
known  by  the  name  of  Nimrod's  Tower.*"  Since  my 
return  to  England,  I  have  been  occasionally  asked,  what 
grounds  I  had  for  supposing  the  ruins  1  visited  were 
those  of  Babylon.  Rennell  has  so  completely  establish- 
ed f  their  identity  with  that  city,  that  I  shall  merely 
state  the  following  reasons  for  my  belief. 

The  place  in  question  is  still  called  Babel  by  the  na- 
tives of  the  country.  The  traditions  of  Oriental  wri- 
ters, and  those  of  the  neighbouring  Arabs,  assign  the 
highest  antiquity  to  the  ruins.  The  accounts  given  by 
ancient  authors  agree  with  the  Oriental  traditions.  The 
appearance  of  the  place  answers  the  description  given 
by  those  authors,!  and  the  position  agrees  in  the  rela- 
tive distance  of  Babylon  from  other  great  cities:  the 
city  of  Seleucia,§>  for  instance,  to  the  north-east,  and  that 
of  Is  ||  to  the  north-west.     The  ruins  seen  by  me  cor- 

•  Ber's  Nimrod.  t  Rennell's  Geography  of  Herodotus. 

X  Herodotus,  Quintus  Curtius,  Pliny,  Diodorus  Siculus,  Strabo. 

§  According  to  Strabo,  and  the  Theodosian  tables,  Seleucia  was 
forty-four  Roman  miles  from  Babylon. 

||  "  Within  an  eight  days'  journey  from  Babylon  is  a  city  call- 
ed Is,  near  which  flows  a  river  of  the  same  name,  which  empties 
itself  into  the  Euphrates.  With  the  current  of  this  river,  parti- 
cles of  bitumen  descend  towards  Babylon,  by  the  means  of  which 
the  walls  were  constructed."  Herodotus,  Clio.  c.  178.  Its  mo- 
dern name  is  Hit. 


104  DECREASE  OF  THE  RUINS. 

respond  with  all  ancient  accounts,  both  in  their  geogra- 
phical relation  to  Babylon,  and  to  the  peculiar  descrip- 
tion of  building.  The  appearance  of  the  fallen  city  is 
precisely  that  which  the  divine  writings  predict  Baby- 
lon should  exhibit  after  her  downfall.  The  geographical 
accounts  convince  me,  that  Babylon  could  not  have  stood 
elsewhere  than  on  the  spot  I  visited ;  and  the  prodigious 
remains  are  conclusive  evidence,  that  they  could  have 
belonged  to  no  other  city. 

The  next  point  for  consideration  is,  the  reason  why 
greater  remains  of  Babylon  are  not  to  be  found?  Re- 
membering the  circumstances  under  which  this  city  was 
built,  there  will  be  no  difficulty  in  accounting  for  the 
deficiency.  It  is  the  vast  size  of  Babylon,  and  not  the 
want  of  durability  in  its  materials,  that  ought  to  excite 
our  wonder.  I  have  before  stated,  on  the  authority  of 
Scripture,  that  the  builders  of  Babylon  substituted 
" bricks  for  stone,  and  slime  for  mortar;"  a  peculiarity 
which  is  mentioned  by  Herodotus,  and  various  ancient 
authors ;  and  I  have  also  remarked  on  the  ready  adapta- 
tion of  the  wet  mud  on  the  banks  of  the  river  for  the 
making  of  bricks.  When  we  consider  the  sandy  nature 
of  the  soil  on  which  Babylon  stood,  the  perishable  mate- 
rials of  which  the  city  was  composed,  and  the  many 
large  cities  that  have  been  built  of  the  ruins;  when  it  is 
remembered,  that  workmen  have  been  constantly  em- 
ployed in  removing  the  bricks;  that  for  two  thousand 
years  the  ruins  have  been  subject  "to  the  operations  of 
the  weather,  and  that  in  consequence  of  the  Euphrates 
periodically  overflowing  its  banks,  they  are  for  two 
months  of  every  year  in  a  state  of  inundation; — we 
ought  the  rather  to  be  surprised,  that  such  vast  masses 
should  have  withstood  so  many  concurring  causes  for  to- 
tal extinction.     From  these  circumstances,  I  take  it  fo^ 


WALLS  OF  BABYLON.  105 

granted,  that  all  the  ordinary  buildings  are  crumbled  into 
dust,  and  that  only  the  remains  of  the  largest  exist. 

Whoever  has  seen  the  mud  habitations  of  an  eastern 
city,  will  readily  accede  to  this  suggestion.  If  any  fur- 
ther argument  were  wanting,  the  fact  mentioned  by  Dio- 
dorus  Siculus,  that  the  greater  portion  of  the  place  with- 
in the  walls  was  ploughed  up  in  his  time,  would  be,  in 
my  opinion,  conclusive  evidence. 

After  stating  upon  what  grounds  I  rest  my  belief  in 
the  indentity  of  these  ruins,  it  is  fair  to  add,  that  our 
party,  in  common  with  other  travellers,  have  totally  fail- 
ed in  discovering  any  traces  of  the  city  walls. 

The  divine  predictions  against  Babylon  have  been  so 
literally  fulfilled  in  the  appearance  of  the  ruins,  that  I 
am  disposed  to  give  the  fullest  signification  to  the  words 
of  Jeremiah,  that  "  the  broad  walls  of  Babylon  shall  be 
utterly  broken."*  We  are  told  by  Herodotus,  f  that 
Babylon  was  surrounded  by  a  very  wide  and  deep 
trench,  with  the  earth  of  which  the  wall  was  construct- 
ed. This  wall  was  200  cubits  or  300  feet  high.  When 
Darius  took  Babylon,  being  exasperated  against  the  in- 
habitants for  the  resistance  they  had  shown  him,  he  re- 
duced their  wall  from  its  original  height  to  50  cubits. 
As  his  object  was  evidently  to  incapacitate  the  proud  ci- 
tizens from  again  opposing  him,  it  is  highly  probable 
that  he  refilled  the  trench  with  the  earth  which  had 
been  taken  from  it.  The  work  of  destruction  did  not 
stop  here.  Xerxes,  on  returning  from  his  ill-fated  Gre- 
cian expedition,  is  said  to  have  levelled  the  remaining 
part  of  the  wall.  This  statement,  however,  must  not  be 
taken  too  literally.  St.  Jerome,  who  lived  in  the  fourth 
century  of  the  Christian  era,  states,  that  the  wall  was 
still  standing;    nevertheless,    the   reduction  by  Xerxes 

«  Jer.  li.  58.  \  Her.  Clio.  178.  179, 


106  MUJILLEBE. 

must  have  been  very  considerable.  From  the  time  of 
Jerome,  no  mention  is  made  of  Babylon  for  several  cen- 
turies, in  which  interval  it  is  most  probable  that  what  re- 
mained of  the  wall  must  have  contributed  to  the  build- 
ing of  the  numerous  cities  which  have  been  formed  out 
of  these  ruins. 

March  26. — At  day  light  we  quitted  Mohowel,  from 
which  place  the  ruins  of  Babel  commence,  though  they 
are  not  of  a  nature  to  merit  particular  notice.  At  eight 
o'clock  we  arrived  at  the  first  ruin  of  any  magnitude ;  it 
is  called  by  the  natives,  the  Mujillebe,  or  "  overturned." 
In  1616  it  was  visited  by  Pietro  della  Valle,  who,  not 
having  examined  the  vast  ruin  on  the  opposite  bank  of 
the  river,  supposed  it  to  be  the  Tower  of  Bable.  The 
form  of  the  Mujillebe  may  have  been  originally  square, 
but,  owing  probably  to  the  operation  of  time  and  the 
weather,  it  is  now  oblong.  The  sides  face  the  cardinal 
points  of  the  compass.  Those  to  the  north  and  south  are 
upwards  of  two  hundred  paces*  in  extent ;  that  to  the 
east,  one  hundred  and  eighty;  and  that  to  the  west,  one 
hundred  and  thirty -six.  The  height  is  very  irregular. 
To  the  south-east,  it  rises  one  hundred  and  forty  feet. 
It  is  well  worthy  of  observation,  that  in  Pietro  della 
VahVs  time,  the  altitude  of  this  ruin  was  two  hundred 
feet,  and  the  base  measured  about  two  thousand  six  hun- 
dred— a  circumstance  proving  the  remark  I  have  before 
made,  of  the  liability  of  the  Babylonian  ruins  to  gradual 
decrease ;  for,  in  the  space  of  two  hundred  years,  this 
mound  has  diminished  sixty  feet  in  height,  and  nearly 
five  hundred  in  circumference.  Let  us  suppose  the  de- 
crease of  the  ruin,  in  each  preceding  century,  to  be  only 


•  I  have  throughout  adopted  Rich's  measurements,  in  his  Me- 
moir on  the  Ruins  of  Babylon,  after  personally  ascertaining  their 
correctness.  i 


MUJILLEBE. SCRIPTURAL  ILLUSTRATION*.         107 

half  of  what  I  have  stated,  and  the  size  of  the  original 
building  would  exceed  the  accounts  of  any  ancient  au- 
thor. 

The  western  side,  by  which  we  ascended,  though  the 
lowest,  is  the  most  remarkable,  as  it  shows  more  distinct- 
ly the  form  of  the  structure.  The  mound  appears  to  be 
a  solid  mass:  it  is  composed  of  sun-dried  bricks,  cement- 
ed with  clay-mortar :  between  each  layer  of  bricks  is  one 
of  reeds.  The  summit  is  traversed  throughout  by  large 
channels  formed  by  the  rain.  In  walking,  we  stepped 
on  several  pieces  of  alabaster,  and  on  a  vitreous  substance 
resembling  glass.  We  saw  great  quantities  of  ornamen- 
tal and  other  kinds  of  pottery.  There  were  vast  num- 
bers of  entire  kiln-burnt  bricks,  which  were  all  four- 
teen inches  square,  and  three  thick.  On  many  were 
inscribed  those  unknown  characters  resembling  arrow- 
heads, so  remarkable  in  the  ruins  of  Babylon  and  Perse- 
polis.  The  freshness  of  the  inscriptions  was  astonishing, 
appearing  to  have  been  recently  stamped,  instead  of  hav- 
ing stood  the  test  of  upwards  of  four  thousand  years. 
From  the  mode  in  which  the  bricks  are  disposed  in  this, 
and  several  other  ruins,  it  is  evident  that,  with  some  ex- 
ceptions, the  great  buildings  of  Babylon  were  composed 
of  sun-burnt  bricks,  and  coated  with  bricks  burnt  in  the 
furnace. 

The  mound  was  full  of  large  holes :  we  entered  some 
of  them,  and  found  them  strewed  with  the  carcasses  and 
skeletons  of  animals  recently  killed.  The  ordure  of 
wild  beasts  was  so  strong,  that  prudence  got  the  better  of 
curiosity,  for  we  had  no  doubt  as  to  the  savage  nature  of 
the  inhabitants.  Our  guides,  indeed,  told  us,  that  all 
the  ruins  abounded  in  lions,  and  other  wild  beasts ;  so 
literally  has  the  divine  prediction  been  fulfilled,  that 
<•  wild  beasts  of  the  Desert  should  lie  there ;  that  their 


108  HILLEH. — MOSQUE  OF  THE  SUN. 

houses  should  be  full  of  doleful  creatures;  that  wild 
beasts  of  the  islands  should  cry  in  their  desolate 
houses."* 

After  exploring  the  Mujillebe,  we  proceeded  to  Hil- 
leh.  With  the  exception  of  a  few  huts,  the  town  is  sit- 
uate on  the  west  bank  of  the  Euphrates.  We  crossed 
the  river  by  a  bridge  of  boats,  like  that  at  Bagdad.  The 
Euphrates,  at  this  point,  is  four  hundred  and  fifty  feet 
broad. 

On  producing  our  firman,  the  house  of  Syyud  Murad* 
the  govenor  of  Kerbela,  was  given  up  for  our  accommo- 
dation, and  a  janizary  was  sent  by  the  governor  to  at- 
tend us* 

Hilleh  was  built  in  the  twelfth  century,  out  of  the 
ruins  of  Babylon.  It  is  enclosed  within  a  mud  wall,  of 
mean  appearance,  but  the  bazaar  is  tolerably  good.  If 
we  except  the  few  Turks  who  are  employed  in  the  gov- 
ernment, the  population  consists  entirely  of  either  Arabs 
or  Jews:  the  number  of  inhabitants  is  estimated  at  ten 
thousand.  Near  one  of  the  gates  of  the  town,  we  were 
shown  the  Musjid  Eshams,  or  Mosque  of  the  Sun.  The 
outside  resembles  the  tomb  of  Zobeide.  The  interior  is 
a  fine  specimen  of  arabesque  architecture :  it  is  said  to 
contain  the  tomb  of  Joshua ;  but  the  Mahometans  rever- 
ence it  as  the  place  where  AH  offered  up  his  early  pray- 
ers to  his  cousin,  the  prophet.  On  the  summit  of  this 
mosque  is  a  small  cone,  which  our  guides  told  us  moved 
with  the  sun,  to  commemorate  the  event  of  the  sun's 
having  stood  still  to  enable  Ali  to  fight  the  enemies  of 
Mahomet.  The  account  given  in  Scripture  of  a  similar 
miracle  having  been  performed  in  favour  of  Joshua  has 
evidently  given  rise  to  this  fable. 

*  Isaiah,  chap.  xiii.  ver.  21,  22. 


HILLEH. BABYLONIAN  INSCRIPTIONS.  109 

Hilleh  is  under  the  subjection  of  the  Pasha  of  Bag- 
dad, who  lets  it  out  to  one  of  his  own  officers  for  the  sum 
of  260,000  piastres.  Besides  this  rent,  the  governor  has 
to  pay  a  stipulated  sum  to  the  Kia-hya  (lieutenant  gov- 
ernor, (and  to  the  principal  officers  of  the  Pashalick,  all 
of  which  demands  are  wrung  from  the  wretched  inhabi- 
tants. The  office  of  Cadi,  a  circumstance  uncommon  in  a 
Turkish  government,  is  here  hereditary :  the  family  of 
the  present  officer  has  held  it  for  a  long  time.  The  town 
is  surrounded  by  a  number  of  gardens,  which  produce 
rice,  dates,  and  grain.  The  soil  is  very  productive;  but, 
as  is  natural  under  such  an  extortionate  government, 
it  is  but  little  cultivated.  If  any  thing  could  identify  the 
modern  inhabitants  of  Hilleh  as  the  decendants  of  the  an- 
cient Babylonians,  it  would  be  their  extreme  profligacy, 
for  which  they  are  notorious  even  amongst  their  immoral 
neighbours. 

The  veranda  of  the  house  we  occupied,  was  paved 
with  inscribed  Babylonian  bricks.  We  amused  ourselves 
during  the  day  in  comparing  them  with  others  we  had 
brought  from  the  ruins.*  At  first  sight,  many  appear- 
ed exactly  alike ;  but,  on  a  closer  examination,  some  let- 
ters were  found  to  be  different:  this  would  indicate,  as 
I  should  suppose,  that  they  were  not  stamped  from  a 
mould,  but  separately. 

These  characters  have  hitherto  baffled  the  inquiries  of 
the  learned  ;  of  some,  however,  at  Persepolis,  a  Dr. 
Grotefund,f  of  Frankfort,  has  given  a  translation.  The 
Doctor  has  furnished  tables  for  any  one  who  may  wish  to 
attempt  the  task  of  deciphering  them.      MauriceJ  is  of 

*  I  have  presented  one  of  these  bricks  to  the  Calcutta  Asiatic 
Society, 
t  Vide  Rich's  second  Memoir  on  Babylon,  p.  48. 
J  Maurice  on  the  ruins  of  Babylon,  p.  21. 

14 


110 


BABYLONIAN  CYLINDERS. 


opinion,  that  the  inscriptions  have  reference  to  astro- 
nomy. 

When  Alexander  came  to  Babylon,  Callisthenes  was 
informed  by  the  Chaldseans,  that  their  astronomical  ob- 
servations were  recorded  upon  kiln-burnt  bricks,  "  coe- 
tilibus  laterculis  inscriptas"*  We  brought  with  us 
from  Babylon  several  curious  cylinders,  of  which,  num- 
bers are  found  amoungst  the  ruins.  I  have  presented 
three  to  the  British  Museum,  on  which,  as  they  are  of 
such  high  antiquity,  I  hope  to  be  excused  offering  a  few 
remarks : 

No.  1. 


No.  2. 


•  Simplicius  on  Aristotle  de  Coelo,  p.  123. 


BABYLONIAN  CYLINDERS.  Ill 

These  cylinders  differ  from  each  other  in  size  and 
material ;  the  largest  is  an  inch  long,  and  the  other  two 
somewhat  smaller :  they  are  all  perforated  in  the  centre ; 
and,  from  the  numbers  in  which  they  are  found,  have 
probably  been  worn  by  the  common  people  as  amulets. 

No.  1  is  of  agate  :  it  describes  two  persons  seated  be- 
fore an  altar,  each  holding  a  small  fish.  One  of  them  is 
a  man  with  a  beard ;  the  other  is  a  woman.  Behind  this 
last  is  another  female,  who  is  holding  over  her  head 
what  appears  to  be  a  palm  branch — a  most  ancient  mark 
of  royalty.*  In  nearly  all  the  Persepolitan  sculptures, 
the  king,  or  chief,  is  similarly  attended.  On  the  altar  is 
a  fish,  and  above  it  are  a  star  and  a  crescent,  which 
would  favour  the  opinion,  that  the  cylinders,  as  well  as 
the  bricks,  have  some  reference  to  astronomy.  The 
bearded  personage  in  this  amulet,  I  consider  to  be  a 
priest  and  the  female  a  princess,  who  is  offering  sacri- 
fice to  the  large  fish  on  the  altar,  probably  the  earliest 
form  of  the  idol  Dagan. 

Dagan,f  the  first  syllable  of  which  word  signifies  a 
fish,  was  the  same  as  Oannes,  respecting  whom  EusebiusJ 
says,  that  his  whole  body  was  like  that  of  a  fish,  and  that 

*  Numerous  examples  might  be  given  of  the  high  dignity  which 
the  palm  branch  was  supposed  to  confer.  The  Egyption  god  Her- 
mes, aixi  the  goddess  Isis,  are  both  represented  as  holding  palm- 
branches  in  their  hands.  The  Jews  hailed  our  Saviour  as  '*  King 
of  Israel,"  by  taking  branches  of  the  palm  and  strewing  them  in 
his  way. — John,  chap.  12. 

t  JH,  Dag  et  run,  Dagah  piscis  interpretatur. — Selden  de  Diis 
Syris,  Syntag.  II.  p.  188.  The  idol  Dagan,  in  his  subsequent  form, 
was  half  man  and  half  fish.  Berosus  mentions  that  in  his  time 
there  was  a  representation  of  him  at  Babylon,  rwh  et^ovoc  ovrov  en 
xeci  vw  hcKpvXccTTio-Sxi  (ev  BctfivXent)  This  idol  has  been  thought  to 
have  been  an  emblem  of  Noah. 

X  Euseb,  Chronu  p.  6-. 


112  S  [SIT  TO  THE  TOWER  OF  BABEL. 

a  delineation  of  him  was  to  be  seen  in  Babylon.  The 
stars  and  the  half- moon  may  denote  the  precise  period  in 
which  this  sacrifice  was  performed. 

The  length  of  hair  worn  by  the  figures  on  this  amulet, 
proves  that  such  was  the  custom  of  those  days,  and  is 
singular  as  contrasted  with  the  shaved  heads  of  the  pre- 
sent day.  Herodotus*  says  that  the  Babylonians  wore 
their  hair  long.  In  the  Persepolitan  sculptures,  and  in 
the  coins  of  the  Sassanidse,  the  figures  are  always  de- 
scribed with  a  profusion  of  hair.  In  the  song  of  Solomonf 
we  are  told,  that  u  his  locks  are  bushy ;"  and  every  one 
remembers  the  hair  of  Absalom,  which  weighed  "  two 
hundred  shekels  after  the  king's  weight."} 

No.  2  is  of  a  substance  resembling  glass.  Two  men, 
without  clothing,  appear  to  be  contending  with  two  beasts. 
Similar  figures  are  observable  in  the  Persepolitan  bas  re- 
liefs. Those  accustomed  to  the  examination  of  Babylo- 
nian antiquities  will  easily  trace  several  lines  in  the  ar- 
row-headed characters. 

No.  3  is  of  argillaceous  earth  ;  it  represents  four  per- 
sons dressed  in  loose  robes,  with  broad  ornamental  bor- 
ders. 

The  first  and  the  last  of  these  amulets  are  curious,  as  they 
illustrate  the  account  of  Herodotus  respecting  the  dress 
of  the  Babylonians;  that  "  they  have  two  vests,  one  of 
linen  which  falls  to  the  feet,  another  over  this,  which  is 
made  of  wool ;  a  white  sash  covers  the  whole. '?§> 

March  27. — Early  this  morning  we  set  out  to  visit  the 
Tower  of  Babel,  accompanied  by  our  Tchouss'  one  of 
the  governor  of  Hilleh's  janizaries,  two  servants,  and  five 
of  our  guard,  all  well  armed  and  mounted.     At  a  short 

*  Herod.  Clio,  xcv.  f  Solomon's  Song,  v.  11. 

X  2  Sam;  xix.  26,  §  Herod.  Clio,  xcv. 


THROWING  THE  JEREED.  113 

distance  from  Hilleh,  we  took  in  a  re-enforcement  of  ten 
horsemen,   furnished  us  by  order  of  the  governor.     A 
just  idea  may  be  formed  of  the  state  of  the  country  by  our 
being  obliged  to  have  a  party  of  twenty  armed  horsemen 
to  go  a  distance  of  six  miles  though  we  had  nothing  ex- 
cept our  arms  to  attract  the  cupidity  of  robbers.     On  our 
road  we  met  a  large  body  of  the  Desert  Arabs,  who, 
though  more  numerous  than  our  party,  oifered  it  no  mo- 
lestation,  but   gave   us  the   usual    salutation  of  **.  Salam 
Aleikum."     They  were  probably  of  the  same   tribe  as 
our  guard,  otherwise  it   is  not  likely  we  should  have  es- 
caped so  well.     When  we  arrived  in  the  desert,  our  new 
detachment  galloped  before  us  and  threw  the  blunt  je- 
reed.    This  instrument,  which  is  made  of  any  heavy  wood, 
is  about  a  yard  long,  and  the  thickness  of  a  mop-stick. 
One  horseman    galloping   forward  with   loud  shouts  and 
menacing  attitudes,  challenged  his  comrades;  an  oppo- 
nent soon  appeared  ; — as  these  retired,   two  new  cham- 
pions started  forward  in  the  same  manner.    It  is  astonish- 
ing to  see  the  dexterity  used  in  this  game  :  the  object  is 
for  one  party  to  pursue  and  the  other  ,to  fly  and  try  to 
elude  being  struck  by  the  jereed  :  this  is  managed  by  the 
person  pursued  throwing  himself  completely  out  of  the 
saddle,  and  clinging  to  the  cantle,  either  by  the  heel  of 
the  lower  part  of  the  leg,  at  the  moment  the  jereed  is 
darted.     If  the  jereed  strikes  him,  he  is  obliged  to  pick 
it  up,  which  he  generally  does,  not  by  dismounting,  but  by 
throwing  himself  out  of  the  saddle  as  before,  till  his  hand 
touches  the  ground ;  and  if  it  misses  him,  the  other  picks 
up  his  own  jereed,  and  in  turn  becomes  the  party  pursu- 
ed.    Our  guard  was  amusing  itself  in  this  manner,  when 
we  came  within  sight  of  a  few  miserable  huts.     From 
these  a  large  body  of  Arab  horsemen,  armed  with  swords 
and  long  spears,  rushed  suddenly  forth,  and  began  shout- 


114  TOWER  OF  BABEL. 

ing  with  all  their  might.  Both  parties  halted  for  a  mi- 
nute :  a  herald  from  each  met  half  way*  and,  after  a  few 
moments'  conference  gave  a  shout,  which  was  immediate- 
ly re-echoed  on  both  sides.  All  was  again  in  motion. 
The  two  companies  struck  their  shovel  stirrups  into  their 
horses'  sides,  rode  at  each  other  with  equal  speed,  and, 
resuming  their  shout,  commenced  a  sham  fight. 

Nothing  could  be  more  animated,  or  would  have  af- 
forded a  finer  subject  for  the  painter,  than  this  group  of 
wild  men.  It  is  difficult  to  conceive  the  effect  of  a  large 
party  of  armed  horsemen  thus  huddled  together  in  the 
greatest  apparent  confusion,  with  drawn  swords  and 
couched  lances.  This  was  a  gentle  passage  of  arms,  and 
not  without  its  interest;  but  it  not  unfrequently  happens 
that  two  hostile  tribes  meet,  who  then  put  into  fierce 
execution  the  address  which  they  acquire  by  this  con- 
stant practice. 

From  Herodotus  we  learn  that  the  Tower  of  Babel, 
or  (what  was  doubtless  the  same)  the  Temple  of  Belus, 
was  a  stadium  in  length  and  breadth,  <tt«<5W  **}  to  ww  *,*) 
to  5%o5.*  This,  according  to  Rich's  computation,  which 
allows  five  hundred  feet  to  the  stadium,  would  give  a 
circumference  of  two  thousand  feet.  The  temple  con- 
sisted of  eight  turrets  rising  in  succession  one  above  the 
other.  Rennel  supposes  the  height  to  be  five  hundred 
feet.  The  ascent  was  on  the  outside,  and  there  was  a 
convenient  resting-place  half  way  up.  This  temple  was 
destroyed  by  Xerxes.  Alexander  wished  to  rebuild  it, 
but  died  before  he  commenced  the  undertaking.     All 

*  I  have  given  the  quotation,  because  I  am  aware  that  it  is  a  dis- 
puted passage.  The  translating  the  word  ww  "  height''  in- 
stead of  "length,"  has  caused  much  abuse  of  Herodotus;  but 
Wesseling's  edition  of  that  author's  works  has  repaired  his  inju- 
red fame. — Vide  Herod.  Wess.  p.  85,  Note. 


RUINS   OP   TJAttFX.  »   115 

that  he  did  was  to  employ  ten  thousand  soldiers  for  the 
space  of  two  months  to  remove  the  rubbish.*  The  ruins 
of  the  Tower  of  Babel  are  six  miles  S.  W.  of  Hilleh. 
At  first  sight,  they  present  the  appearance  of  a  hill  with 
a  castle  on  the  top :  the  greater  portion  is  covered  with 
a  light  sandy  soil,  and  it  is  only  in  ascending  that  the 
traveller  discovers  he  is  walking  on  a  vast  heap  of  bricks. 
This  mound,  like  the  Mujillebe,  is  oblong.  The  total 
circumference  has  been  found  to  be  two  thousand  two 
hundred  and  eighty -six  feet,  which  gives  to  the  ruins  a 
much  greater  extent  of  base  than  to  the  original  build- 
ing. The  surplus  is  very  great,  when  one  considers  the 
quantity  that  must  have  been  removed  by  the  Macedo- 
nian soldiers,  and  how  much,  in  the  course  of  ages,  must 
have  been  taken  by  the  workmen  employed  in  digging 
for  bricks.  The  elevation  of  the  mound  is  irregular:  to 
the  west  it  is  one  hundred  and  ninety-eight  feet  high. 
On  the  top  is  that  which  looked  like  a  castle  in  the  dis- 
tance :  it  is  a  solid  mass  of  kiln-burnt  bricks,  thirty-se- 
ven feet  high,  and  twenty-eight  broad.  The  bricks, 
which  are  of  an  excellent  description,  are  laid  in  with 
a  fine  and  scarcely  perceptible  cement.  At  regular  in- 
tervals, some  bricks  are  omitted  so  as  to  leave  square 
apertures  through  the  mass:  these  may  possibly  have 
been  intended  to  procure  a  free  current  of  air,  that 
should  prevent  the  admission  of  damp  into  the  brick- 
work. The  summit  of  the  mass  is  much  broken,  and 
the  fractures  are  so  made  as  to  carry  conviction  that  vio- 
lence has  been  used  to  reduce  it  to  this  state. 

Distinct  from  the  pile  of  bricks  just  described,  and 
lower  down  on  the  north  face  of  the  large  mound,  is  an- 
other mass  exactly  similar.     Pieces  of  marble,  stones, 

*  Vide  Strabo  and  Arrian. 


116  SCRIPTURAL   ILLUSTRATIONS. 

and  broken  bricks,  lie  scattered  over  the  ruin.  The 
most  curious  of  the  fragments  are  several  mis-shapen 
masses  of  brickwork,  quite  black,  except  in  a  few  places 
where  regular  layers  of  kiln-burnt  bricks  are  discernible: 
these  have  certainly  been  subjected  to  some  fierce  heat, 
as  they  are  completely  molten — a  strong  presumption 
that  fire  was  used  in  the  destruction  of  the  Tower, 
which,  in  parts,  resembles  what  the  Scriptures  prophe- 
sied it  should  become,  "  a  burnt  mountain. "* 

Travellers  who  have  visited  this  spot,  have  been  struck 
with  the  curious  appearance  of  these  fragments,  and, 
having  only  seen  the  black  surface,  hav?  altogether  re- 
jected the  idea  of  their  being  bricks.  In  the  denuncia- 
tion respecting  Babylon,  fire  is  particularly  mentioned  as 
an  agent  against  it.  To  this  Jeremiah  evidently  alludes, 
when  he  says  that  it  should  be  "  as  when  God  overthrew 
Sodom  and  Gomorrah/'  on  which  cities,  it  is  said,  the 
"  Lord  rained  brimstone  and  fire."f  Again,  "  I  will 
kindle  a  fire  in  his  cities,  and  it  shall  devour  all  round 
about  him  f9  and  in  another  place,  "  Her  high  gates  shall 
be  burned  with  fire,  and  the  people  shall  labour  in  vain, 
and  the  folk  in  the  fire,  and  they  shall  be  weary." 

Taking  into  calculation  the  brick  mass  on  the  top  of  the 
large  mound,  the  ruins  are  two  hundred  and  thirty-five 
feet  high,  which  gives  nearly  half  the  height  of  the  Tow- 
er in  its  perfect  state.  Rich  thought  he  could  trace  four 
stages,  or  stories  of  this  building  ;  and  the  united  obser- 
vations of  our  party  induce  the  same  conviction. 

Wild  beasts  appeared  to  be  as  numerous  here  as  at  the 
Mujillebe.     Mr.   Lamb  gave  up  his  examination,   from 

*  Jeremiah,  chap.  li.  ver.  25. 

t  Some  of  the  Jewish  Doctors  say,  "  that  God  ovettarned  the 
tower  (Babel)  by  a  terrible  tempest,  or  burnt  it  by  fire  from  hea- 
ven."—- Hewlett's  Annotations  on  scripture,  vol.  i.p.  194. 


VIEW  OF  ANCIENT  IJAilYLOX.  117 

seeing  an  animal  crouched  in  one  of  the  square  apertures, 
I  saw  another  in  a  similar  situation,  and  the  large  foot- 
print of  a  lion  was  so  fresh  that  the  beast  must  have  sto- 
len away  on  our  approach.  From  the  summit  we  had  a 
distinct  view  of  the  vast  heaps  which  constitute  all  that 
now  remains  of  ancient  Babylon ;  a  more  complete  pic- 
ture of  desolation  could  not  well  be  imagined.  The  eye 
wandered  over  a  barren  desert,  in  which  the  ruins  were 
nearly  the  only  indication  that  it  had  ever  been  inhabit- 
ed. It  was  impossible  to  behold  this  scene  and  not  to  be 
reminded  how  exactly  the  predictions  of  Isaiah  and  Jere- 
miah have  been  fulfilled,  even  in  the  appearance  Baby- 
lon was  doomed  to  present:  that  she  should  "never  be 
inhabited ;"  that  "  the  Arabian  should  not  pitch  his 
tent  there;"  that  she  should  "become  heaps;"  that  her 
cities  should  be  "  a  desolation,  a  dry  land,  and  a  wilder- 
ness!" * 

In  Rich's  memoir  on  Babylon  is  an  account  of  some 
earthenware  vessels  containing  human  bones,  similar  to 
those  seen  by  us  on  two  occasions.  With  a  view  to  com- 
pare them  with  what  we  had  observed,  we  went  up  the 
river  this  afternoon. 

Our  boat  was  of  a  peculiar  construction.  It  was  in 
shape  like  a  large  circular  basket,  the  sides  were  of  wil- 
low, covered  over  with  bitumen,  the  bottom  was  laid 
with  reeds.  It  had  two  men  with  paddles,  one  of  whom 
pulled  towards  him,  as  the  other  pushed  from  him.  This 
sort  of  boat  is  common  to  the  Euphrates  and  Tigris,  and 
is,  probably,  best  adapted  to  the  strong  currents  common 
to  these  rivers.  May  not  these  boats  be  of  the  same 
kind  as  the  "  vessels  of  bulrushes  upon  the  waters,"  al- 
luded to  by  Isaiah  ?f 

By  comparing  my  description  with  that  given  by  Hc- 

*  Jer.  li.  ver.  37.  43.  t  Isaiah,  chap,  xviii.  ver.  2. 

15 


118  BABYLONIAN  BOATS. 

rodotus  of  the  boats  used  in  his  time,  it  will  be  seen  how 
little  their  structure  has  altered  since  that  remote  period. 
The  passage  referred  to  is  not  long,  and  may  be  worthy 
attention. 

"  Of  all  that  I  saw  in  this  country,  next  to  Babylon 
itself,  what  to  me  appeared  the  greatest  curiosity,  were 
the  boats.  These,  which  are  used  by  persons  who  come 
to  the  city,  are  of  a  circular  form,  and  made  of  skins. 
They  are  constructed  in  Armenia,  in  the  ports  above 
Assyria,  where  the  sides  being  formed  of  willow,  are  co- 
vered externally  with  skins,  and  having  no  distinction  of 
head  or  stern,  are  modelled  in  the  shape  of  a  shield. 
Lining  the  bottoms  of  these  boats  with  reeds,  they  take 
on  board  their  merchandize,  and  thus  commit  themselves 
to  the  stream.  The  principal  article  of  their  commerce 
is  palm  wine,  which  they  carry  in  casks.  The  boats 
have  two  oars,  one  man  to  each ;  one  pulls  to  him,  the 
other  pushes  from  him.  These  boats  are  of  very  dif- 
ferent dimensions;  some  of  them  so  large  as  to  bear 
freight  to  the  value  of  five  thousand  talents ;  the  smaller 
of  them  has  one  ass  on  board,  the  larger  several.  On 
their  arival  at  Babylon  they  dispose  of  all  their  cargo, 
selling  the  ribs  of  their  boats,  the  matting,  and  every 
thing  but  the  skins  which  cover  them :  these  they  lay 
upon  their  asses,  and  with  them  return  to  Armenia. 
The  rapidity  of  the  stream  is  too  great  to  render  their 
return  by  water  practicable.  This  is,  perhaps,  the  rea- 
son which  induces  them  to  make  their  boats  of  skin  ra- 
ther than  of  wood.  On  their  return  with  their  asses  to 
Armenia,  they  make  other  vessels  in  the  manner  I  have 
before  described."  * 

We  continued  our  trip  up  the  river  for  about  a  mile, 
but  the  current  was  so  strong  against  us,  that  we  aban- 

*  Herod.  Clio,  cxciy. 


EARTHENWARE  TOMBS.  119 

doned  our  intention  of  going  to  the  place  proposed. 
Our  excursion,  however,  proved  most  satisfactory,  though 
we  did  not  see  the  vessels  mentioned  by  Rich  ;  for  in  re- 
turning to  Hilleh,  we  found  a  number  of  the  same  descrip- 
tion we  had  seen,  and  containing  human  bones  :  thus  fully 
confirming  our  own  observations  and  those  of  Mr.  Rich. 

These  vessels  were  three  quarters  of  a  mile  from  the 
bridge,  on  the  west  bank  of  the  river.  The  place  ap- 
peared to  have  been  an  ancient  burying-ground,  en- 
croached upon  by  the  Euphrates. 

As  this  mode  of  disposing  of  the  dead  is  so  much  at 
variance  with  the  customs  of  the  Babylonians  and  ancient 
Persians,  it  appears  probable  that  the  tombs  may  contain 
the  bodies  of  some  of  the  Greeks  who  accompanied 
Alexander  on  his  Eastern  expedition.  In  marching 
through  a  country  where  the  scarcity  of  wood  first  sug- 
gested the  idea  of  the  hanging  garden,  the  substitution 
of  the  famous  Babylonian  clay  for  coffins  seems  natural 
and  obvious. 

In  support  of  this  opinion,  the  physician  who  attended 
General  Gardane,  the  French  ambassador  to  the  court 
of  Persia,  told  a  friend  of  mine,  that  he  had  seen  vessels 
of  a  similar  description,  used  for  the  same  purpose,  in 
several  parts  of  Greece :  and  the  Asiatic  Collections  con- 
tain an  account  of  some  earthenware  vessels  having  in 
them  human  bones,  which  were  found  in  the  neighbour- 
hood of  Bushire,  near  which  place  Alexander  must  have 
met  his  fleet  under  Nearchus,  after  his  return  from 
India. 

March  28. — We  left  Hilleh  this  morning  to  resume 
our  examination,  and  took  with  us  a  party  of  workmen 
to  dig  for  us.  The  ruins  on  the  west  bank  of  the  river 
commence  two  miles  north  of  the  town.  Including  the 
Mujillebe,  they  extend  three  miles  north  and  south;  and 


120  THE  HANGING  GARDENS. 

upwards  of  two  miles  east  and  west.  The  first  heap  of 
ruins,  though  of  considerable  extent,  has  a  very  indeter- 
minate form,  and  presents  only  the  general  appearance 
observable  throughout, — mounds  channelled  by  the  wea- 
ther, and  strewed  with  fragments  of  buildings.  I  shall, 
therefore,  pass  them  without  further  mention,  and  pro- 
ceed to  describe  those  which  I  consider  to  be  the  site  of 
the  Hanging  Gardens,  and  of  the  palace. 

Diodorus  says  the  palace  was  near  the  bridge.  Strabo 
and  Quintus  Curtius  state  the  gardens  to  have  been  near 
the  Euphrates,  whence  they  were  supplied  with  water, 
by  means  of  engines.  All  these  three  authors  are  agreed 
as  to  their  having  been  situated  within  the  walls  of  the 
palace. 

The  entire  mound  comprises  a  square  of  two  thousand 
eight  hundred  feet.  In  addition  to  the  usual  vestiges, 
are  several  broken  alabaster  vessels ;  we  remarked  also 
great  quantities  of  varnished  tiles,  the  colours  of  which 
were  remarkably  fine.  According  to  Diodorus,  the  walls 
and  towers  of  the  palace  were  covered  with  tiles  of  dif- 
ferent colours,  representing  a  grand  hunting-piece,  more 
than  four  cubits  in  size.  In  this  were  described  a  great 
variety  of  wild  beasts  :  here  was  to  be  seen  Semiramis 
on  horseback,  brandishing  a  spear;  and  near  her  Ninus, 
in  the  act  of  killing  a  lion.  The  colours  are  said  to  have 
been  laid  in   before  the  bricks  were  baked,  'hu^a^  'im  t*75 

We  have  a  singular  confirmation  of  this  account  of 
Diodorus  in  the  prophet  Ezekiel,  who,  speaking  of  the 
defection  of  Judah,  under  the  character  of  Aholibah, 
says,  M  She  saw  men  pourtrayed  upon  the  wall,  the 
images   of  the  Chaldseans   pourtrayed   with  vermilion, 

*  Diod.  Sicu.  Wess.  Ed.  vol.  i.  p.  121. 


VARNISHED  TILES.  121 

girded  with  girdles  upon  their  loins,  exceeding  in  dyed 
attire  upon  their  heads,  all  of  them  princes  to  look  to, 
after  the  manner  of  the  Babylonians  of  Chaldsea."* 

This  mode  of  exterior  decoration  is  still  common 
throughout  the  East.  Numerous  specimens  came  within 
my  own  observation,  in  the  course  of  the  journey,  par- 
ticularly in  the  cities  of  Bussorah,  Bagdad,  and  Tehe- 
raun. 

Captain  Hart  brought  me  the  portion  of  a  highly  var- 
nished blue  vase,  to  which  were  sticking  some  fragments 
of  human  bones  that  had  undergone  the  action  of  fire. 
I  attempted  to  separate  them  from  the  vessel,  but  they 
pulverized  on  being  touched.  The  bricks  are  finer  here 
than  in  any  other  part  of  the  ruins ;  their  superiority  is 
attested  by  the  number  of  men  we  found  employed  in  dig- 
ging for  them.  The  ruins  are  so  perforated  in  conse- 
quence, that  the  original  design  is  entirely  lost :  all  that 
could  favour  any  conjecture  of  gardens  built  on  ter- 
races, are  two  subterranean  passages,  which  we  saw  at 
some  distance  from  each  other.  The  people  digging  for 
bricks  say  that  they  are  of  great  extent,  and  very  high 
in  many  places.  We  made  our  workmen  dig  at  each  en- 
trance, hoping  to  trace  a  communication  ;  but  we  were 
unsuccessful,  as  they  were  nearly  closed  up  with  bricks 
and  rubbish,  and  our  men  were  afraid  to  continue  their 
work,  many  people  having  been  accidentally  buried  in 
the  ruins.  To  judge  from  what  we  saw,  there  can  be 
no  doubt  that  both  passages  are  of  vast  extent :  they  are 
lined  with  bricks  laid  in  with  bitumen,  and  covered  over 
with  large  masses  of  stone.  This  is  nearly  the  only  place 
where  stone  is  observable. 

While  we  were  exploring  the  cave,  an  enormous  wild 
boar  of  a  reddish  colour  started  up  from  amongst  the  ruins. 

*  Ezek.  xxiii.  ver.  14,  15. 


122  WILD  BEASTS. 

Our  party  immediately  gave  ehace,  hut  he  eluded  us. 
In  the  eagerness  of  pursuit,  I  snatched  a  gun  from  a 
servant  and  fired  ;  luckily  I  missed  the  animal,  for  the 
shot  was  too  small  to  kill  him  ;  and  his  instinctive  re- 
venge, it  is  well  known,  might  have  made  me  pay  dearly 
for  my  temerity. 

The  prophecy  of  Isaiah,  that  Babylon  should  be  in- 
habited by  wild  beasts,  was  fulfilled  after  the  extinction 
of  the  Seleucidse ;  for  their  successors,  the  Parthians, 
turned  the  city  into  a  park,  and  stocked  it  with  wild 
beasts  for  the  purpose  of  hunting.  Amongst  these  the 
wild  boar  is  enumerated.* 

It  has  been  supposed  that  many  curious  trees  are  to  be 
found  on  the  site  of  the  Hanging  Gardens.  This  is  not 
the  case  5  there  is  but  one,  and  that  is  in  the  most  eleva- 
ted spot.  It  is  a  kind  of  cedar,  possibly  one  of  the  xe$pb*t 
of  Diodorus.  One  half  of  the  trunk  is  standing,  and  is 
about  five  feet  in  circumference.  Though  the  body  is  de- 
cayed, the  branches  are  still  green  and  healthy,  and  droop 
like  those  of  the  willow.  With  the  exception  of  one  at 
Bussorah,  there  is  no  tree  like  it  throughout  Irak  Arabia. 
The  Arabs  call  it  Athele.  Our  guides  said,  that  this 
tree  was  left  in  the  Hanging  Gardens  for  the  purpose  of 
enabling  Ali  to  tie  his  horse  to  it  after  the  battle  of 
Hilleh. 

Not  far  from  this  tree,  we  saw  indications  of  a  statue, 
which  had  been  imperfectly  seen  by  Beauchamp  and 
Rich.  We  set  our  men  to  work,  and  in  two  hours  found 
a  colossal  piece  of  sculpture,  in  black  marble,  represent- 
ing a  lion  standing  over  a  man.  When  Rich  was  here, 
the  figure  was  entire;  but  when  we  saw  it,  the  head  was 
gone.  The  length  of  the  pedestal,  the  height  of  the 
shoulders,  and  the  length  of  the  statue,  measured,  in 
each  of  their  respective  parts,  nine  feet. 

*  St.  Jerome. 


STATUE  OF  A  LION.  123 


I  would  venture  to  suggest  that  this  statue  might  have 
reference  to  Daniel  in  the  lion's  den,  and  that  it  former- 
ly stood  over  one  of  the  gates,  either  of  the  palace,  or  of 
the  Hanging  Gardens.  It  is  natural  to  suppose  that  so 
extraordinary  a  miracle  would  have  been  celebrated  by 
the  Babylonians,  particularly  as  Daniel  was  afterwards 
governor  of  their  city. 

The  prophet  was  also  governor  of  Susa  (the  Shu- 
shan  of  Scripture,)  where  he  frequently  went  in  the  dis- 
charge of  his  official  duties,  and  at  which  place  he  died. 
A  short  time  ago,  Susa  was  visited  by  some  French  offi- 
cers in  the  service  of  the  Prince  of  Kermanshah  :  amongst 
other  antiquities,  they  found  a  block  of  white  marble 
covered  with'  Babylonian  characters,  having  sculptured 
on  it  the  figures  of  two  men  and  two  lions.  This  may 
also  allude  to  the  same  event. 

The  finest  specimen  of  Babylonian  structure  is  a  large 
building,  called  by  the  workmen  the  Kasr?  or  Palace. 
Its  form  is  quadrangular,  and  it  faces  the  cardinal  points>. 


124  THE  PROPHET  DANIEL. 

It  is  composed  entirely  of  kiln-burnt  bricks  of  the  finest 
description,  which  are  laid  in  with  a  cement  of  the  ut- 
most tenacity.  The  workmen  have  long  left  this  un- 
touched, from  the  impossibility  of  detaching  the  bricks 
from  the  cement.  As  the  palace  is  in  the  midst  of  other 
elevated  ruins,  the  precise  height  cannot  be  ascertained, 
though  it  is  possible  that  the  foundation  may  be  on  a 
level  with  the  plain.  The  walls  are  eight  feet  thick ; 
they  are  rent  throughout,  but  evidently  not  by  the  hand 
of  man,  as  nothing  but  some  violent  convulsion  of  na- 
ture could  produce  the  vast  chasms  observable  in  this 
ruin.  The  freshness  of  the  brickwork  is  such,  that  we 
should  have  had  difficulty  in  identifying  it  with  the  ruins 
of  Babylon,  had  we  not  found  it  situated  in  the  midst  of 
other  buildings,  instead  of  being  detached  from  them. 
The  solid  appearance  of  the  original  structure  impressed 
the  mind  the  more  strongly  with  the  image  of  devasta- 
tion that  it  now  presents. 


MOttOWEL. PREJUDICE  OVERCOME.  125 


CHAPTER  X, 

lYiumph  of  Travelling  over  Prejudice — Grotesque  Dance — Fire 
Temple — Presentation  to  the  Pasha  of  Bagdad — Feast  of  St. 
Gregory — Visit  from  the  officers  of  the  Pashalick. — Instance  of 
the  Pasha's  despotic  Power — We  return  the  Visit  of  the  offi- 
cers— The  Pasha's  Garden — Musruf  Effendy  and  his  Screw- 
pump — First  impressions  on  visiting  Bagdad — Description  of  the 
Streets  and  Bazaars — Interior  of  a  House — Dress  of  the  Wo- 
men— Liberty  enjoyed  by  Turkish  Females. 

Having  concluded  our  examination  of  the  ruins,  we 
retraced  our  steps  towards  Bagdad,  and  reached  Mo- 
howel,  the  nearest  caravanserai  to  Babylon,  in  the  even- 
ing. After  we  had  dined,  our  servants  and  the  chief 
muleteer  sat  down  together,  and  made  a  meal  on  the 
provisions  that  were  left, — an  incident  showing  how  far 
travelling  had  been  able  to  overcome  national  and  religi- 
ous prejudices.  The  persons  composing  the  party  were, 
two  Sunnis  and  four  Shiahs,  betwixt  which  sects  exists 
the  most  violent  hatred ;  and  to  complete  the  party,  two 
Christian  "  Infidels  "  were  on  the  present  occasion  wel- 
come partakers  of  the  same  meal  with  the  u  True  Be- 
lievers:" of  all  the  party,  the  Indian  Syyud  was  per- 
haps the  person  who  had  made  the  greatest  sacrifice  of 
his  religious  scruples ;  for  the  Indian  Mahometans,  fol- 
lowing the  prejudices  of  the  Gentoos,  deem  it  a  profana- 
tion to  eat  with  others  not  professing  exactly  the  same 
tenets  as  themselves,  and  to  eat  "  the  leavings"  of  an- 
other has  become  in  India  a  proverbial  expression  of 

16 


126      FIBE  TEMPLE. — GROTESQUE  DANCE. 

abuse.  What  then  must  have  been  the  situation  of  this 
descendant  of  the  Prophet,  who  scrupled  not  to  eat  the 
leavings  of  those  who  deny  the  divine  mission  of  his  great 
ancestor,  in  company  with  two  individuals  of  that  hated 
race? 

March  29. — We  resumed  our  march  this  mornings 
and  passed  as  many  pilgrims  as  before.  We  arrived  at 
Khana  Zund  in  the  evening,  where  we  halted  for  the 
night.  A  few  miles  from  the  caravanserai  we  observed 
a  mound,  which  we  thought  might  be  the  Fire  Temple 
described  by  Aboo  Nasir,  where  he  told  us  the  devils 
were  in  the  habit  of  dancing  amidst  flames.  Notwith- 
standing his  denial  of  it  now,  we  were  convinced  it  was 
the  same  place ;  because  it  corresponded  with  the  bear- 
ings we  had  taken  on  board  our  boat,  and  more  particu- 
larly because  he  showed  so  fixed  a  determination  not  to 
go  with  us  to  the  spot,  begging  to  be  excused  on  account 
of  sickness, — a  plea  which  but  ill  accorded  with  his 
ruddy  features.  Aware  of  his  superstitious  fears,  we 
amused  ourslves  by  pressing  him  to  accompany  us  after 
dark;  but  he  was  obstinate,  and  we  were  ultimately  obli- 
ged to  give  up  the  point. 

As  the  night  came  on,  we  went  frequently  out  to  try 
if  we  could  not  observe  any  lire  produced  by  naphtha, 
for  which  Babylonia  was  so  famous,  thinking  it  possible 
that  some  such  production  might  have  given  rise  to  the 
tradition;  but  we  could  see  nothing  to  justify  this  con- 
jecture. 

Before  we  went  to  sleep,  two  of  our  Arab  guards  en- 
tertained us  with  a  dance  of  the  most  grotesque  descrip- 
tion :  one,  who  represented  a  lover,  evincing  his  attach- 
ment by  hallooing  with  all  his  might  and  jumping  round 
the  other,  who  personated  a  female,  and  continued  danc- 
ing within  the  circle,  preserving  as  much  diffidence  of 


TEMPLE  OF  'HI  E  GU  EBRES .  ]  27 

demeanour  as  might  have  heen  expected  from  a  fair 
Arab  of  the  Desert.  If  strength  of  lungs  and  activity 
of  limbs  would  have  been  claims  to  the  hand  of  a  fair 
lady,  this  athletic  S  ten  tor  would  have  proved  a  formid- 
able rival. 

Besides  our  own  attendants,  all  the  chance  inmates  of 
the  caravanserai  assembled  to  witness  this  dance,  and, 
with  loud  expressions  of  applause,  animated  the  per- 
formers to  continue  their  exertions.  The  whole,  indeed, 
formed  a  very  interesting  group;  for  the  unsteady  glare 
of  a  dying  fire  reflecting  on  the  swarthy  countenances  of 
the  dancers,  was  no  bad  illustration  of  Aboo  Nasir's  ac- 
count of  the  devil's  dance. 

March  30. — We  visited  the  Guebri  Bena  (the  Tem- 
ple of  the  Guebres)  at  day-light,  but  could  not  persuade 
Aboo  Nasir  to  make  one  of  the  party.  It  is  constructed 
of  mud  cemented  with  rushes,  like  the  Mujillebe  at  Ba- 
bylon. Each  side  faces  a  cardinal  point:  that  towards 
the  west  gradually  inclines  to  the  plain.  It  measures 
thirty  feet  from  the  summit  to  the  visible  base,  and  is 
two  hundred  and  thirty-three  feet  in  circumference. 
We  saw  the  usual  fragments  in  the  neighbourhood.  The 
whole  ruin  exhibits  considerable  marks  of  the  ravages 
of  time.  It  bears  W.  of  Ctesiphon,  and  N.  by  W.  of 
Khana  Zund  caravanserai.  Notwithstanding  the  dilapi- 
dated state  of  this  mound,  I  feel  no  difficulty  in  conject- 
uring the  form  of  the  original  structure. 

I  suppose  that,  like  the  Babylonian  ruins,  it  was  a 
quadrangular  building :  the  interior  of  which  was  com- 
posed of  regular  layers  of  mud  and  reeds,  and,  as  may 
be  deduced  from  the  fragments  around,  coated  with 
kiln-burnt  bricks.  From  the  gradual  slope  towards  the 
plain  to  the  west,  on  that  side  was  the  ascent  to  the  tem- 
ple; the  east  being  the  place  where  stood  the  altar  on 
which  was  placed  the  sacred  fire. 


3  28  TEMPLE  OF  THE  GUEBRES. 

To  put  this  supposition  in  a  clearer  light,  let  us  remem-* 
ber  in  what  the  temples  of  the  Guebres  differed  from 
those  of  other  worshippers.  The  doctrine  of  Zoroaster 
was,  that  there  was  an  infinite  and  all-powerful  Being,  to 
whom  the  early  Persians  were  taught  to  pay  their  devo- 
tions. As  so  simple  a  doctrine  could  not  long  satisfy  the 
corrupt  nature  of  man,  the  sun,  as  the  brightest  emblem, 
and  subsequently  lire,  were  allowed  to  be  worshipped  as 
symbols  of  the  Deity.  It  was  not,  however,  till  the  ap^ 
pearance  of  a  second  Zoroaster,  that  temples  were  adopts 
ed  ;  but  even  then  they  were  of  the  simplest  structure, 
probably  of  the  form  I  have  just  described.  Roofs, 
walls,  or  pillars,  were  expressly  forbidden  in  these  edi- 
fices. To  illustrate  this  circumstance,  Xerxes  destroyed 
the  temples  of  the  Greeks  when  he  overran  their  coun- 
try, because  they  presumed  to  enclose  within  walls  Him 
who  was  the  universe  itself. 

At  eight  miles  from  Bagdad  we  met  a  caravan  of  Per- 
sians, which  appeared  to  form  the  suit  of  some  woman 
of  rank.  Nine  veiled  females,  all  mounted  astride  on 
horses,  were  riding  in  a  line.  She  who  by  the  superior- 
ity of  dress  appeared  to  be  the  principal  lady,  had  her 
horse  led  by  a  eunuch. 

We  arrived  in  Bagdad  at  half-past  three  in  the  after- 
noon, having  suffered  so  much  from  the  intense  heat  of 
the  sun  that  our  hands  and  faces  were  completely  blister- 
ed. On  our  return,  we  found  Aga  Saikeis  in  considerar 
ble  alarm  for  our  safety,  as  we  had  returned  a  day  later 
than  we  proposed,  and  during  our  absence  a  battle  had 
been  fought  between  the  Turks  and  Arabs,  in  which  the 
latter  were  victorious. 

March  31. — We  employed  the  morning  in  returning 
the  visits  of  the  European  gentlemen  who  had  called 
upon  us  :  they  all  received  us  in  the  Turkish  style,  with 
pipes  and  coffee.      The  Chief  of  the  Artillery  intro- 


ACTION  ON  THE  MOUSSOUL  ROAD.  129 

duced  us  to  his  wife,  an  Armenian,  and  his  family,  con- 
sisting of  three  daughters  and  one  son.  They  were  all 
dressed  in  the  costume  of  their  country.  He  gave  us 
an  account  of  the  action,  which  had  taken  place  on  the 
Moussoul  road,  between  the  Arabs  and  the  Pasha's 
troops  :  the  latter,  it  appeared,  had  lost  forty  men  and 
three  pieces  of  cannon.  He  appeared  to  be  much  an- 
noyed at  the  result  of  the  engagement :  not  so  much  on 
account  of  the  men  killed,  "  for  they,"  as  he  said, 
"  could  easily  be  replaced ;  nor  of  the  guns,  for  there 
were  enough  of  them ;"  the  object  of  his  great  grief  was 
the  loss  of  the  carriages  on  which  they  stood.  Observ- 
ing us  smile  at  this  peculiar  cause  of  grievance,  he  told 
us  that  the  Pasha  was  so  extremely  parsimonious,  that 
when  the  gun-carriages  were  worn  out,  he  would  not  go 
to  the  expense  of  new  ones ;  consequently,  half  the  guns 
on  the  ramparts  were  dismounted  and  unserviceable. 
As  an  example  of  the  niggardly  disposition  of  the  Pasha 
in  this  particular,  he  told  us  that  the  British  agent  some 
time  ago  presented  him  with  a  handsome  English  chariot, 
which  was  placed  in  the  Palace  yard,  and  where  it  has 
remained  unemployed  ever  since.  The  only  observation 
made  by  the  Pasha  on  receiving  the  present  was,  wheth- 
er the  wheels  could  not  be  taken  off  and  turned  into 
gun-carriages. 

April  2. — We  went  this  morning  to  pay  our  respects 
to  the  Pasha  of  Bagdad,  dressed  in  full  uniform,  and  ri- 
ding horses  gaily  caparisoned,  and  accompanied  by  a 
numerous  mounted  retinue.  The  Pasha's  secretary  sent 
some  of  his  servants  to  attend  us,  and  we  were  met  at 
some  distance  from  the  palace  by  a  deputation  of  janiza- 
ries. On  entering  the  gates  of  the  palace,  we  came  into 
a  spacious  court,  where  the  Pasha's  troops  were  drawn 
up  under  the  command  of  our  friend  the  Chief  of  Ar- 
tillery, who  presented  arms  to  us  as  we  passed.     On  ar- 


130  PRESENTATION  TO  THE  PASHA. 

riving  at  the  gates  of  the  second  court,  we  dismounted  : 
here  the  principal  officers  of  the  Pasha  received  us,  and 
ushered  us  into  his  presence,  to  which  we  passed  through 
two  lines  of  janizaries,  who,  standing  with  their  arms 
folded,  preserved  an  immoveable  gravity.  The  hall  of 
audience  was  fitted  up  in  the  oriential  style,  and  decora- 
ted with  numerous  small  looking-glasses  of  a  triangular 
form,  which  had  a  curious  dazzling  effect.  In  one  cor- 
ner was  seated  the  Pasha,  supported  by  cushions ;  chairs 
were  placed  for  us  ;  and,  as  had  been  previously  stipula- 
ted, we  seated  ourselves  without  taking  off  either  our  hats 
or  shoes.  The  Pasha  was  remarkably  affable  and  polite, 
and  begged  we  would  fix  an  early  day  for  visiting  one  of 
his  gardens,  distant  a  few  miles  from  Bagdad.  We  took 
our  leave,  after  going  through  the  usual  routine  of  cof- 
fee, sweetmeats,  &c. 

Davoud  (David)  Pasha  is  a  Georgian  by  birth,  and 
was  formerly  a  slave  to  Syyud  Pasha ;  but,  having  at  an 
early  age  abjured  Christianity,  he  assumed  the  character 
of  a  Mahometan  devotee,  and  seating  himself  at  the 
palace  gate,  acquired  so  large  a  sum  by  begging,  that  he 
was  sufficiently  rich  to  become  a  candidate  for  the  pur- 
chase of  the  Pashalick,  and  sent  in  his  proposals  to  the 
Grand  Signior.  His  application  was  answered  in  the 
usual  way,  by  forwarding  an  order  for  the  execution  of 
the  ruling  Pasha;  which  being  put  into  immediate  effect, 
the  mendicant  slave  stepped  quietly  into  the  place  of  his 
old  master.  He  had  no  sooner  possessed  himself  of  the 
the  Pashalick,  than  he  threw  off  the  mask  of  ascetic,  and 
appeared  in  his  true  colours.  Convinced  that  a  situation 
which  was  gained  by  blood,  "  by  blood  must  be  maintain- 
ed," he  has  been  as  reckless  of  life  as  any  of  his  prede- 
cessors; and  I  have  been  informed,  that  no  less  than  fif- 
teen hundred  persons  have  fallen  victims  to  his  ambition 
or  rapacity.     He  is  a  good-humoured  looking  man,  an- 


CHARACTER  OF  THE  PASHA.  131 

parently  between  forty  and  fifty  years  of  age,  and  of  very 
prepossessing  manners.  During  the  interview,  I  tried  to 
discover  in  his  fine  countenance  any  lines  of  remorse  for 
such  a  load  of  crime ;  but  I  looked  in  vain ; — and,  re- 
membering Byron's  descriptive  lines  on  Ali  Pasha,  found 
it  not  less  difficult 


"  To  trace 


The  deeds  which  lurk  beneath,  and  stain  him  with  disgrace. n 

Previous  to  leaving  the  palace,  we  called  upon  the 
Kia-hya,  (lieutenant-governor.)  whom  we  found  seated  in 
his  divan,  and  surrounded  by  Georgean  slaves. 

April  3. — This  being  the   feast  of  St.  Gregory,  the 
patron  Saint  of  Armenia,  we  went  with  the  agent  to  the 
Armenian  church,  attended  by  the  usual  state  retinue. 
The  place  was  very  crowded :  the  women  were  in  a  sep- 
arate apartment  from  the  men,  having  been  kept  out  of 
sight  in  compliment  to  us.     We  occupied  seats  close  to 
the  altar.    During  the  service  frankincense  was  frequent- 
ly presented  to  us.   The  service  was  chanted  by  priests, 
and  a  choir  of  boys ;  the  ceremonies  were  similar  to  those 
in  use  amongst  the  Greeks,  but  more  numerous.     In  one 
of  them  the  principal  priest  held  up  his  hands,  and,  after 
a  variety  of  ceremonies,  placed  them,  with  the  palms 
closed  together,  before  the  second,  who,  having  kissed 
them,  in  like  manner  offered  his  hands  to  be  kissed  by  a 
third ;    and   in   this   manner    the   sanctified   kiss   went 
through  the  whole  congregation.     The  service  was  in- 
dolently and  unimpressively  performed.      One  of   the 
boys  assisting  in  the  choir  got  a  sound  box  on  the  ear  for 
inattention,   which   immediately  set  the   rest   of   them 
laughing.     Aga  Saikeis  remained  for  a  short  time,  and 
then  left  the  church  in  the  middle  of  the  ceremony. 

April  4. — Some  of  the  principal  officers  of  the  govern- 
ment, amongst  whom  were  the  Chief  of  the  Janizaries? 


132  PROPOSAL  FROM  THE  PASHA. 

the  secretary,  and  the  Musruf  Effendy,  the  treasurer, 
paid  us  a  visit  this  morning,  to  acknowledge  the  Pasha's 
sense  of  our  civility  in  waiting  upon  him :  at  least,  that 
was  the  ostensible,  though  not  the  actual  reason  of  their 
visit ;  for,  after  sitting  with  us  for  some  time,  they  spoke 
privately  to  Mr.  Lamb,  who  had  formerly  practised 
medicine,  and  laid  before  him  a  proposal  from  the  Pasha 
to  make  him  his  physician.  I  forget  the  terms  of  the 
offer;  but,  of  a  definite  sum,  part  was  to  be  paid  by  the 
Pasha  himself,  and  the  remainder  was  to  be  made  up  by 
each  of  his  officers  being  forced  to  employ  Mr.  Lamb  in 
his  professional  capacity.  My  fellow-traveller  replied, 
that  though  he  could  not,  under  any  circumstances,  avail 
himself  of  the  Pasha's  flattering  offer,  he  had  no  objec- 
tion to  give  advice  gratuitously  during  our  stay  in  Bag- 
dad. The  high  estimation  in  which  European  doctors 
are  held  in  the  East,  is  a  proof  how  deficient  the  Asia- 
tics are  in  this  most  important  science  ;  but,  in  spite  of 
their  present  ignorance,  I  doubt  whether  they  are  worse 
informed  now  than  in  the  earlier  periods  of  their  history. 
We  are  told  by  Herodotus,  that  even  at  Babylon,  in  its 
most  prosperous  times,  the  custom  was  to  carry  a  sick 
person  into  a  public  square,  for  the  purpose  of  being 
questioned  by  the  passers-by;  and  if  any  one  happened 
to  have  been  once  suffering  from  a  similar  complaint,  he 
would  detail  to  the  invalid  by  what  means  his  own  cure 
had  been  effected. 

We  had  a  practical  illustration,  this  afternoon,  of  the 
Pasha's  despotic  will  and  power*  Having  occasion  to 
make  some  purchases  in  the  bazaar,  we  were  informed 
that  the  Pasha  had  depreciated  the  coin  one-half  the  cur- 
rent price ! 

April  5. — The  following  morning  (5th;  we  returned 
the  calls  of  our  Turkish  acquaintances.  Our  first  visit 
was  to  the  Yunitchery  Assy  (chief  of  the  janizaries,} 


VISIT  TO  THE  SECRET  ART*  133 

whose  dreSs  was  remarkable  from  its  resemblance  to  an 
English  judge's  gown,  being  a  loose  scarlet  robe  with  a 
broad  collar  of  ermine. 

This  officer  enjoys  a  high  reputation  in  Bagdad,  and 
has  always  proved  himself  friendly  to  the  British  inter- 
ests, in  gratitude  (as  he  told  us)  for  his  life  having  once 
been  saved  by  the  intercession  of  our  agent,  Mr.  Rich, 
after  he  had  been  condemned  to  death  by  Syyud  Pasha, 

On  leaving  the  chief  of  the  janizaries,  we  went  to  the 
secretary,  who  was  in  his  haram  when  we  arrived. 
Amongst  the  servants  in  attendance,  a  woman  was  point- 
ed out  to  me,  who,  dressed  as  a  eunuch,  formed  one  of 
the  suite ;  this  being  a  privilege  occasionally  granted  to 
women,  when  (as  in  the  present  instance)  age  and  ap- 
pearance are  a  sufficient  guarantee  for  their  good  beha- 
viour. The  secretary  soon  made  his  appearance,  bring- 
ing with  him  a  tolerably  correct  Arab  map  of  the  Grand 
Signior's  dominions,  of  which  he  seemed  to  have  no  very 
indistinct  idea.  While  we  were  looking  at  this  specimen 
of  Arab  science,  Meerza*  Nasir,  a  Persian  of  rank,  came 
in,  having  just  arrived  on  a  mission  from  the  prince  gov- 
ernor of  Kermanshah  relative  to  the  safe  conduct  of  the 
body  of  His  Highness's  father,  the  late  governor  of  that 
province,!  to  Meshed  Ali,  the  proposed  place  of  its  in- 
terment. As  soon  as  we  were  introduced  to  this  gentle- 
man, he  overwhelmed  us  with  protestations  of  kindness. 
Understanding  we  were  about  to  proceed  to  Kermanshah^ 
he  promised  to  write  to  all  his  friends  there,  to  ensure  us 
a  good  reception. 

From  having  the  map  before  us,  the  conversation  na- 

*  The  word  Meerza  before  a  name  signifies  secretary;  after  it, 
prince. 

t  Mo^ummud  Ali  Meerza,  eldest  son  of  the  King  of  Persia, 
^vhom  1  shall  hereafter  have  occasion  to  mention,  died  two  years 
previous  to  the  date  of  this  notice. 

17 


134  INTRODUCTION  TO  MEERZA  NASIR. 

turally  turned  on  the  subject  of  our  travels.  It  was 
amusing  to  observe  the  surprise  our  auditors  expressed 
on  hearing  that  we  travelled  for  our  own  gratification 
only.  Meerza  Nasir,  in  particular,  asked  how  we,  as 
officers  of  the  King,  could  find  funds  to  defray  our  ex- 
penses ;  and  if  any  of  us  should  die  on  the  journey,  what 
would  become  of  any  property  we  might  leave.  We 
told  him  that  the  King  paid  us  just  the  same  as  if  we 
were  actually  on  his  duty;  and  that  on  the  death  of 
either  of  us,  the  next  of  kin  would  succeed  to  the  pro- 
perty, even  if  his  Majesty  wished  it  otherwise.  This 
was  so  contrary  to  the  custom  of  Persia,  where  every 
casualty  goes  in  favour  of  the  existing  power,  that  he  in- 
terrupted us  with  an  incredulous  expression  of  ajieeb  ! 
(wonderful !)  evidently  thinking  we  were  indulging  in  a 
traveller's  privilege,  notwithstanding  the  Persian  pro- 
verb, that  "  an  Englishman  never  tells  a  lie." 

Aprils. — We  went  this  morning,  according  to  our 
appointment,  to  a  garden  of  the  Pasha,  distant  about 
four  miles  from  the  city,  and  reached  it  after  an  hour's 
pleasant  ride  along  the  banks  of  the  Tigris. 

The  Pasha  in  this,  as  in  every  other  instance,  seemed 
desirous  to  show  us  every  attention ;  for  we  found  as- 
sembled at  the  appointed  place  the  Lieutenant-Governor 
and  the  principal  persons  of  the  Pashalick — an  honour, 
which  we  were  given  to  understand,  was  seldom,  if  ever, 
shown  to  private  individuals.  We  entered  a  small  ob- 
long room,  where  all  these  personages  were  seated, 
smoking  their  pipes  with  true  Turkish  solemnity. 

Through  the  centre  of  this  room  ran  a  stream  of  water, 
of  which  I  was  first  made  aware  by  stepping  my  foot  into 
it,  in  my  anxiety  to  do  the  honours  correctly.  We  sate 
cross-legged ;  and  remained  so  long  in  this  painful  posi- 
tion, that  we  were  completely  tired  of  our  honours,  when 
luckily  the  Musruf  Effendy  (treasurer)  called  us  out  to 


THE  PASHA'S  GARDEN. THE  SCREW   PI  MI\        135 

look  at  an  awkward  kind  of  pump,  worked  by  one  horse, 
on  the  principal  of  the  Archimedes'  screw,  for  letting 
the  water  of  the  Tigris  into  the  Pasha's  garden. 

The  Musruf  looked  with  peculiar  complacency  on  this 
machine,  and  claimed  the  honour  of  the  invention ;  al- 
though one  of  his  detractors  whispered  in  my  ear  that  he 
was  indebted  for  it  to  a  Persian.  Be  this  as  it  may,  the 
Musruf  is  unquestionably  a  man  deservedly  celebrated 
for  every  species  of  expediency ;  in  proof  of  which  may 
be  mentioned  an  admirable  plan  he  has  lately  invented, 
in  his  own  department  of  treasurer,  for  settling  with  the 
troops,  whose  pay  is  four  piastres,  or  two  shillings  Eng- 
lish, a  month.  In  lieu  of  this,  he  has  given  them  a  cer- 
tain quantity  of  tobacco,  worth  about  half  the  sum.  So 
valuable  a  servant  could  not  but  be  highly  acceptable  to 
his  master;  accordingly,  there  are  few  persons  in  such 
high  favour,  as  is  the  Musruf  Effendy  with  the  Pasha  of 
Bagdad. 

Attracted  by  an  arbour  formed  of  vine- trees,  we  bent 
our  steps  towards  it  for  the  advantage  of  its  shade,  as  we 
were  now  suffering  from  the  meridian  rays  of  an  Eastern 
sun;  but,  alas!  the  approach  to  it  was  completely  inun- 
dated, owing  to  the  active  mechanism  of  the  Musruf  ?s 
screw-pump. 

This  mode  of  watering  a  garden,  however  inconsistent 
with  our  ideas  of  English  neatness,  has  probably  been 
found  to  be  most  efficient,  as  it  is  the  common  mode  in 
use  both  on  the  banks  of  the  Euphrates  and  the  Tigris, 
and  has  been  so  from  the  most  ancient  period  of  history. 
Herodotus  mentions  that  the  Assyrians  used  hydraulic 
machines  for  irrigating  their  lands.  With  the  know- 
ledge of  this  circumstance,  it  is  somewhat  difficult  to  re- 
concile the  accounts  given  in  the  Arabian  Nights  of  the 
delightful  walks  taken  by  various  heroes  and  heroines  in 


136    FIRST  IMPRESSIONS  ON  ARRIVING  AT  BAGDAD. 

these  same  gardens  of  Bagdad ;  for  this  irrigation,  hav 
ing  been  a  daily  process,  must  have  rendered  the  paths 
somewhat  too  muddy,  one  might  think,  for  the  luxurious 
promenade  of  Eastern  beauty. 

Being  now  about  to  take  our  departure  from  this  city, 
a  few  general  remarks  may  not  be  unacceptable. 

A  traveller  coming  by  water  from  Bussorah  is  likely 
to  be  much  struck  with  Bagdad  on  his  first  arrival. 
Having  been  for  some  time  past  accustomed  to  see  noth- 
ing but  a  desert — there  being  no  cultivation  on  that  side 
of  the  city  by  which  he  arrives — he  does  not  observe 
any  change  that  would  warn  him  of  his  approach  to  a 
populous  city.  He  continues  winding  up  the  Tigris 
through  all  its  numerous  headlands,  when  this  once  re- 
nowned city  of  gardens  bursts  suddenly  on  his  sight. 
Its  first  view  justifies  the  idea  that  he  is  approaching  the 
residence  of  the  renowned  Caliph,  Haroun  Alraschid, 
in  the  height  of  its  splendour ;  a  crowd  of  early  associa- 
tions rushes  across  his  mind,  and  seems  to  reduce  to  re- 
ality scenes  which,  from  boyish  recollections,  are  so 
blended  with  magic  and  fairy  lore,  that  he  may  for  a  mo- 
ment imagine  himself  arrived  at  the  City  of  the  En- 
chanters. 

Bagdad  is  surrounded  by  a  battlemented  wall ;  the 
part  towards  the  palace,  as  was  the  case  in  ancient  Ba- 
bylon, is  ornamented  with  glazed  tiles  of  various  colours. 
The  graceful  minarets,  and  the  beautifully  shaped  domes 
of  the  mosques,  are  sure  to  attract  his  eye.  One  or 
two  of  these  are  gaudily  decorated  with  glazed  tiles  of 
blue,  white,  and  yellow,  which,  formed  into  a  mosaic  of 
flowers,  reflect  the  rays  of  the  sun :  the  variegated  foliage 
of  the  trees  of  these  numerous  gardens,*  which  most 

*  Bag,  or  more  properly  Baugh,  (the  first  syllable  of  the  word 
Baugfedad.)  signifies  garden. 


DESCRIPTION  OF  BAGDAD.  137 

probably  have  given  the  name  to  the  city,  serve  as  a 
beautiful  back-ground  to  the  picture.  Thus  far  the  tra- 
veller is  allowed  to  indulge  his  reverie  ;  but  on  entering 
the  walls,  his  vision  is  dispelled. 

The  walls  are  of  mud :  the  streets,  which  are  scarcely 
wide  enough  to  allow  two  persons  to  pass,  are  so  empty, 
that  he  could  almost  fancy  the  inhabitants  had  died  of  the 
plague  :  he  looks  upwards — two  dead  walls  meet  his 
eyes;  he  now  enters  the  bazaar,  and  finds  that  he  has  no 
reason  to  complain  of  want  of  population ;  a  mass  of  dirty 
wretches  render  his  road  almost  impassible ;  with  some 
difficulty  he  jostles  through  a  succession  of  narrow  clois- 
tered passages,  traversing  each  other  at  right  angles ;  the 
light,  which  is  admitted  by  holes  a  foot  in  diameter  from 
the  top,  gives  to  the  sallow  features  of  the  crowd  below 
a  truly  consumptive  appearance,  agreeing  well  with  the 
close,  hot,  fulsome  smell  of  bad  ventilation.  The  travel- 
ler, by  this  time,  has  seen  sufficient  to  cure  him  of  the 
dreams  of  earlier  life  ;  and,  on  arriving  at  his  destina- 
tion, he  makes  a  woful  comparison  between  the  reality 
of  the  scenes  and  the  picture  imagination  had  drawn. 
Such,  or  nearly  such,  was  the  impression  first  made  by 
my  arrival  in  Bagdad. 

The  interior  of  a  house  is  much  more  comfortable  than 
its  outward  appearance  would  lead  you  to  expect.  The 
residence  of  Aga  Saikeis  is  not  a  bad  specimen  of  this ; 
it  consists  of  a  succession  of  square  courts  surrounded  by 
galleries,  each  forming  a  distinct  habitation.  In  the 
outer  court  is  a  room,  or  rather  a  recess,  forming  three 
sides  of  a  square,  and  open  towards  the  front ;  this,  in 
Persian,  is  called  the  Dufter  Khoneh  (office,)  where  the 
ordinary  business  of  the  day  is  transacted  :  the  second 
court  is  somewhat  larger,  but  of  a  similar  structure,  in 
which  is  also  a  recess  5  this  is  the  (Dewan  Khoneh)  au- 


138  DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  HOUSES. 

dience-room.*  From  the  galleries  are  partitioned  off 
several  rooms,  some  of  which  we  occupied,  having  win- 
dows opening  to  the  court,  formed  of  small  diamond- 
shaped  panes  of  glass  of  every  colour,  and  disposed  in 
various  fantastic  shapes :  the  interior  of  these  chambers 
is  decorated  in  the  same  style ;  the  ceiling  is  composed 
of  a  kind  of  trellice-work  describing  flowers  of  different 
colours.  The  walls  are  formed  into  small  arched  reces- 
ses, of  the  Arabesque  order,  and  are  gilded  in  a  gaudy 
manner.  The  number  of  these  courts  is  increased  ac- 
cording to  the  size  of  the  house ;  the  innermost  always 
comprising  the  haram,  or  women's  apartments.  The 
few  windows  that  look  towards  the  street,  are  covered 
with  a  frame  of  lattice- work.  During  the  warm  wea- 
ther, the  inhabitants  sleep  on  bedsteads  placed  on  the 
roofs,  which  are  flat,  and  surrounded  by  parapet  walls. 
As  some  of  the  roofs  are  more  elevated  than  others, 
those  occupying  the  highest  can  observe  the  women  who 
dwell  in  the  lower  apartments ;  but  a  stranger  will  think 
well  before  he  indulges  his  curiosity,  as  a  Turk  would 
feel  himself  justified  in  sending  a  ball  through  the  head 
of  his  prying  neighbour. 

There  is  every  reason  to  believe  that  Eastern  houses 
are  of  the  same  form,  and  applied  to  the  same  purposes 
as  formerly.  From  a  variety  of  texts  of  Scripture,  the 
roof  appears  to  have  been  always  inhabited.  The  ex- 
pression of  Isaiah,  that  "  thou  art  wholly  gone  up  to  the 
house  tops,"  f  evidently  refers  to  this  circumstance. 
It  was  from  "  the  roof  of  the  king's  house  "  that  David 
first  saw  Bathsheba.J  This  he  could  easily  do,  as,  of 
course,  the  royal  palace  was  more  elevated  than  the  sur- 

*  Dewan,  pronounced  in  England  Divan, 

f  Isaiah  xxii.  ver.  1.  i  2  Sam.  xi.  2. 


TURKISH  HOUSES*  139 

rounding  habitations.  Samuel  communed  with  Saul  on 
the  top  of  the  house,  and  the  next  morning  called  him 
up  to  the  same  place,  to  send  him  away.* 

In  my  note  upon  Bussorah,  I  have  mentioned,  that  at 
an  Armenian  feast,  a  large  party  were  assembled  on  the 
terrace  to  celebrate  the  betrothment  of  our  host.  In 
the  same  manner,  three  thousand  Philistines  met  on  the 
roof  of  the  house,  on  the  day  of  a  "  great  sacrifice  unto 
Dagon,  their  god,"  and  to  rejoice  "  that  Samson  had 
been  delivered  into  their  hands." 

The  parapet  wall  round  these  terraces,  was  ordained 
by  the  Jewish  law  to  prevent  any  one  from  falling  off : 
"  When  thou  buildest  a  new  house,  then  thou  shalt  make 
a  battlement  for  thy  roof,  that  thou  bring  not  blood  upon 
thine  house,  if  any  man  fall  from  thence/'  f 

The  lattice  on  the  windows,  is  also  mentioned  in  Holy 
Writ.  In  Solomon's  Song,  the  bride  says  "  he  looketh 
forth  at  the  windows,  showing  himself  through  the  lat- 
tice." x 

There  is  hardly  any  variety  in  the  dress  of  the  Bag- 
dad females.  A  blue  check  robe,  enveloping  the  whole 
person,  has  been  selected  by  the  Turks,  probably  from 
the  homeliness  of  its  colour,  as  least  likely  to  attract  at- 
tention ;  a  thick  horse-hair  veil,  through  which  it  is  im- 
possible to  discern  the  features  of  the  wearer,  extends  to 
the  chest :  a  lady  thus  habited  is  allowed  to  go  abroad, 
attended  by  a  female  servant,  whose  dress  diners  from 
that  of  her  mistress  only  in  the  coarser  texture  of  the 
materials.  Numbers  of  these  females  may  be  seen  in  an 
evening  outside  the  walls  of  the  city ;  some  of  them  are 
mounted  on  mules,  when  a  pair  of  long  yellow  boots  are 

*  1  Sam.  ix.  ver.  25  and  26.  t  Deut.  xxii.  8. 

%  Sol.  Song.  ii.  9. 


140        DRESS  OF  THE  BAGDAD  WOMEN. 

added  to  the  dress;  others  on  foot,  proceeding  towards 
the  garden  to  fulfil  an  assignation  with  their  lovers.  In 
our  evening  rides  we  frequently  passed  some  of  these  fe- 
males, who,  if  they  were  alone,  and  a  Mussulman  not  in 
sight,  would  lift  up  their  veils,  and  show  such  a  disposi- 
tion to  become  better  acquainted,  that  if  we  had  been 
inclined  for  this  species  of  an  adventure,  our  addres- 
ses would  doubtless  have  met  with  a  favourable  recep- 
tion. 

The  gardens  commence  within  half  a  mile  of  the  walls 
of  the  city,  and  extend  four  or  five  miles  along  the  wa- 
ter's edge.  They  are  separated  from  each  other  by  walls; 
a  small  door  opens  from  each  garden  towards  the  river, 
which  often  serves  to  admit  some  female,  who,  gliding 
softly  in  a  small  boat,  enters  the  garden  by  this  means, 
while  her  lover  comes  in  from  the  opposite  side :  here 
the  precautionary  measures  of  dress,  that  were  intended 
to  ensure  fidelity,  prove  useful  only  in  preventing  dis- 
covery. A  woman  thus  disguised  can  escape  without 
much  fear  of  detection;  the  uniformity  of  the  dress  pre- 
vents any  one  from  identifying  her  figure,  and  no  man, 
whatever  his  suspicions  may  be,  will  dare  to  lift  the  veil 
of  a  woman  in  public.  In  Constantinople;,  Englishmen 
who  have  engaged  in  this  description  of  adventure,  have 
disappeared,  and  never  been  heard  of  afterwards.  In 
Bagdad  there  does  not  appear  to  be  so  much  danger;  we 
heard  of  some  of  our  own  countrymen  having  escaped, 
even  after  detection,  though,  in  some  instances,  the  fe- 
male, and  some  of  the  principal  abettors  of  the  intrigue 
have  fallen  victims  to  their  imprudence. 

From  these  circumstances  it  will  appear  that  Turk- 
ish women  have  more  liberty  than  is  usually  supposed, 
and  though  by  the  customs  of  the  East  they  are  de- 
prived  of  that  respect  and   admiration   of    the   men, 


LU3EKTY  OF  TURKISH  WO&EN.  141 

which  are  the  birth-right  of  Englishwomen,  they  have, 
perhaps,  more  power  of  indulging  their  licentious  in- 
clinations, and  with  less  fear  of  detection  than  our  ladies, 
who  like  our  monarchs,  have  a  legitimate  though  limit- 
ed sway. 


18 


142  BAGDAD. 


CHAPTER  XI. 


Buildings  in  the  time  of  Haroun  Alraschid — A  House— Mosque — 
Disregard  of  the  Turks  for  Antiquities — Preparations  for  de- 
parture— Advice  to  Travellers — Roguery  of  the  British  Agent 
— Mr.  Wolff,  a  Missionary — Extortion  of  the  Servants  of  Aga 
Saikeis — We  leave  Bagdad — Gold-stick  bearer — Benee-Sad — 
Ruined  state  of  the  Town — Aboo  Nasir  throwing  the  Jereed — 
Bacoubah — Devastation  of  the  Army  of  Mohumud  Ali  Meerza 
— Alarm  of  Robbers — Aboo  Nasir's  Request— The  Silver-stick 
Bearer  and  Aboo  Nasir  take  leave. 


During  our  stay  in  Bagdad,  we  were  very  anxious  to 
observe  any  customs  in  use  amongst  the  modern  inhabi- 
tants, with  which  we  might  associate  our  recollections  of 
their  ancestors,  as  recorded  in  the  Arabian  Nights ;  but 
Bagdad  is  no  longer  the  Court  of  the  Caliphs.  The  for- 
mer capital  of  the  Eastern  empire,  has  dwindled  into  the 
seat  of  government  of  a  remote  province.  The  deputy 
of  the  Caliph's  successor  occupies  the  seat  once  filled  by 
commanders  of  the  faithful ;  and,  although  in  the  decline 
of  a  great  city  there  must  be  a  smaller  field  for  the  de- 
lineation of  character,  than  in  the  days  of  its  prosperity, 
the  customs  of  the  present  inhabitants  have  such  an  affi- 
nity to  the  accounts  handed  down  to  us  of  the  days  of 
splendour,  as  to  bear  ample  testimony  to  the  fidelity  of 
that  admirable  picture  of  Oriental  life. 

In  our  search  for  illustrations  of  the  Arabian  Nights, 
we  were  not  unmindful  of  buildings  in  the  time  of  the 
Caliph  Haroun  Alraschid,  the  detail  of  whose  midnight 


BUILDINGS  IN  THE  TIME  OF  IIAROUN.  143 

pranks  have  so  amused  our  earlier  life.  Though  there 
are  few  remains  of  this  merry  monarch,  these  few,  un- 
satisfactory as  they  were  to  our  craving  curiosity,  were 
visited  by  us  with  a  grateful  respect  for  his  memory, 
proportionate  to  the  pleasure  we  had  derived  from  the 
perusal  of  his  exploits.  A  house  situate  on  the  banks  of 
the  Tigris  was  shown  to  us  as  having  once  been  the  resi- 
dence of  Haroun.  There  is  nothing  in  its  actual  ap- 
pearance to  attract  notice,  though  it  is  remarkable  for 
the  judicious  situation  in  which  it  is  built.  The  far- 
famed  Tigris  washes  its  walls,  and  from  its  lattices  is  a 
fine  view  of  the  surrounding  scenery. 

Another  memento  of  the  Caliph  is  a  mosque  in  a  di- 
lapidated state,  which  bears  marks  of  having  once  been 
beautiful  and  elegant ;  it  is  nearly  the  highest  building  in 
the  city.  Captain  Hart  attempted  to  make  a  sketch  of 
it,  but  was  prevented  by  the  importunate  curiosity  of  the 
Turks,  who  had  gathered  round  us  to  discover  the  ob- 
jects of  our  attention. 

Here  it  may  not  be  irrelevant  to  offer  a  few  remarks 
on  that  disposition  so  observable  in  Eastern  nations  to  al- 
low the  works  of  antiquity  to  decay.  The  people  who 
do  not  look  backward  to  their  ancestors,  will  never  look 
forward  to  posterity.  The  Turk,  careless  and  indolent, 
dozes  through  his  existence,  unmindful  of  the  past,  re- 
gardless of  the  future.  With  us,  the  actions  of  our  fore- 
fathers are  associated  with  our  own.  The  motives  which 
stimulate  us  to  present  exertion  are  the  recollection  of 
our  predecessors,  and  the  hope  of  benefiting  our  posteri- 
ty. The  Turk,  from  the  frail  hold  by  which  he  clings 
to  life,  merely  regards  the  moment  of  present  enjoyment. 
To-morrow  he  may  be  dead,  or  he  may  be  a  beggar. 
To-day,  is  his  existence.  He  knows  that  like  the 
mighty  Davoud,  the  slave  may  become  the  three-tailed 


144        PREPARATIONS  FOR  DEPARTURE. 

bashaw,  but  he  also  knows  that  the  same  sum  which  pur- 
chased the  head  of  his  predecessor,  may  be  given  for 
his  own.  He  exercises  power  while  he  may,  in  extor- 
tion and  oppression.  Prodigal  of  the  life  of  others, 
equally  careless  of  his  own,  he  yields  when  his  turn 
comes,  with  the  indifference  of  a  predestinarian,  and  re- 
spectfully submits  his  neck  to  the  bowstring,  whenever 
"the  vicar  of  the  holy  Prophet"  dooms  him  to  destruc- 
tion. 

April  8. — For  some  reasons,  that  we  were  unable  to 
divine,  Aga  Saikeis  threw  every  obstacle  in  the  way  of 
our  departure.  Whenever  we  made  inquiries  respect- 
ing any  opportunity  of  joining  a  party  proceeding  to 
Kermanshah,  our  next  halting-place,  he  always  evaded 
giving  us  an  answer,  till  the  caravan  in  question  had  pro- 
ceeded on  its  journey. 

Impatient  at  this  protracted  delay,  and  being  suspi- 
cious that  we  were  again  to  become  the  innocent  instru- 
ments of  some  deceitful  project,  we  determined  to  fol- 
low the  plan  we  had  adopted  at  Bussorah,  of  forming 
our  own  caravan,  and  travelling  independent  of  others. 
For  this  purpose,  we  purchased  tents;  Mr.  Hart  and 
Mr.  Lamb  had  a  small  one  a-piece,  and  Mr.  Hamilton 
and  myself  a  larger  one  between  us.  We  were  assisted 
in  our  arrangements  by  Gaspar  Khan,  a  wealthy  mer- 
chant, who  engaged  for  us  twenty-four  mules,  to  carry 
our  servants  and  baggage.  The  chief  muleteer  gave  us 
a  written  agreement,  by  which  he  was  bound  to  go  to 
Kermanshah  within  a  given  time,  or  to  remain  on  the 
road  as  many  days  as  we  required.  We  had  each  two 
servants,  and  two  saddle  horses;  we  hired  two  tent- 
pitchers  for  the  whole  party,  and  the,descendant  of  Ma- 
homet still  continued  to  act  as  cook.  The  Pasha  hearing 
of  our  projected  departure  sent  a  janizary  to  escort  us 


ADVICE  TQ  TRAVELLERS.  145 

to  the  Persian  frontier,  witli  a  firman,  exempting  us  from 
all  tolls  and  exactions  whatever.  Aboo  Nasir  begged  us 
to  allow  him  to  accompany  us  the  two  first  stages,  for  the 
sake  of  old  acquaintance,  a  proposal  to  which  we  willing- 
ly acceded. 

From  the  moment  that  Aga  Saikeis  saw  these  prepa- 
rations, his  spirits  entirely  forsook  him.  He  frequently 
tried  to  rally,  but  in  vain ;  and  there  can  be  little  doubt 
that  by  our  departure,  we  defeated  some  favourite  plan 
he  had  formed  for  his  aggrandizement;  as  from  the  time 
we  commenced  our  preparations  for  the  journey,  we 
observed  him  in  close  conference  with  his  confidential 
secretary,  an  Armenian  of  the  establishment,  whose  sym- 
pathetic features  reflected  the  wo-begone  countenance  of 
his  principal. 

Should  any  traveller  follow  our  route,  he  need  not 
employ  so  large  an  equipage  as  that  imposed  upon  us 
by  Aga  Saikeis.  If  he  travel  alone,  he  will  only  have 
occasion  for  a  saddle  horse  for  his  own  riding,  and  two 
mules,  one  of  which,  more  lightly  laden  than  the  other, 
will  also  carry  his  servant.  With  so  small  an  equipage, 
however,  it  will  be  advisable  for  him  to  join  a  caravan ; 
indeed,  at  all  events,  he  had  better  do  so,  as  there  is 
considerable  danger  in  passing  the  frontier,  on  account 
of  the  numerous  predatory  hordes  that  infest  the  moun- 
tains; and,  though  we  did  not  come  in  actual  contact 
with  these  robbers,  we  have  good  cause  to  remember 
them.  The  traveller  is  recommended  not  to  put  himself 
to  any  expense  in  the  purchase  of  portmanteaus,  as  the 
articles  of  the  country  are  infinitely  cheaper  and  better 
adapted  to  the  mule  loads.  A  small  breakfast-canteen  is 
indispensable.  Withvregard  to  equipment,  and  an  esti- 
mate of  expenses,  Lieutenant  Colonel  Johnson's  journey 
through  Persia,  to  London,  gives  very  excellent  advice 


146  ROGUERY  OF  THE  BRITISH  AGENT. 

to  travellers.  It  is  the  best  itinerary  that  has  been  pub- 
lished of  a  Persian  tour,  and  affords  a  fair  valuation  of 
expenses,  though,  perhaps,  occasionally  underrated:  at 
least,  we  were  unable  to  make  such  good  bargains.  Our 
route  was  not  the  same  as  Colonel  Johnson's,  but  his  re- 
marks are  equally  applicable  to  both  lines  of  march. 

I  cannot  close  these  observations  without  strongly  re- 
commending any  future  traveller  visiting  Bagdad,  to 
avoid  the  house  of  Aga  Saikeis:  if  his  objects  be  curio- 
sity, economy,  or  expedition,  he  will  in  all  probability 
enjoy  as  little  liberty  to  pursue  his  observation  as  our- 
selves ;  the  good  cheer  of  which  he  may  partake,  though 
not  charged  in  a  bill,  will  draw  from  his  pocket,  by  in- 
direct means,  an  ample  remuneration.  If  it  should  suit 
the  views  of  the  agent,  so  many  obstacles  will  be  thrown 
in  the  way  of  his  departure,  that  nothing  but  the  most 
decisive  conduct  will  prevent  his  detention.  It  was  not 
till  some  time  after  our  departure  from  Bagdad,  that  we 
were  fully  convinced  of  this  Armenian's  rogueries;  each 
succeeding  day  brought  to  light  some  fresh  instance  of 
his  extortion,  in  proof  of  which,  candour  obliges  me  to 
relate  a  circumstance,  which,  for  the  reputation  of  our 
party,  ought  to  be  kept  secret,  the  misfortunes  being 
of  that  desoription  which  would  obtain  us  no  commisera- 
tion from  our  sporting  countrymen.  In  short,  Aga 
Saikeis,  with  some  very  few  exceptions,  took  in  the 
whole  of  our  party  in  the  sale  of  horses. 

As  I  could  not  presume  to  impeach  the  judgment  of 
my  fellow  travellers,  in  a  point  on  which  all  Englishmen 
are  so  punctilious,  the  names  of  the  sufferers  must  not  be 
mentioned ;  but  out  of  our  stud,  one  horse  wanted  an  eye ; 
a  second,  a  pair  of  hind  legs ;  a  third,  recommended,  as 
likely  to  suit  a  timid  gentleman,  ran  away  with  him  eve- 
ry day  to  the  amusement  of  the  rest  of  the  party  5  and 


Kit.  WOLFF. WOflSttTPFERS  OF  THE  DEVIL.         147 

of  the  two  horses  I  bought,  one  died  at  Teheran,  and  the 
other  was  very  well  sold  at  Tabriz  for  a  sum  equivalent 
to  two  pounds  sterling. 

Having  thus  pointed  out  the  shoals  of  which  the 
traveller  is  to  steer  clear,  it  is  but  fair  to  give  a  few 
directions  for  the  course  he  ought  to  pursue.  He  is  re- 
commended to  hire  apartments  for  himself,  and  to  em- 
ploy no  servant  but  his  own.  If  he  should  require  in- 
jformation  connected  either  with  arrangements  for  his 
journey,  or  with  objects  worthy  of  his  curiosity,  he  is 
recommended  to  the  Chief  of  the  Artillery,  who  will  be 
proud  to  afford  him  every  assistance  in  his  powTer,  and 
to  whose  good  offices  our  party  feel  themselves  much  in- 
debted. 

While  we  were  at  breakfast  this  morning,  Mr.  Wolff, 
a  Missionary,  came  in,  having  just  arrived  from  Aleppo 
after  a  long  and  arduous  journey  across  the  Desert.  Of 
this,  his  appearance  bore  ample  testimony,  as  his  com- 
plexion, naturally  fair,  had  turned  to  a  copper  colour 
from  the  scorching  influence  of  the  sun.  He  appeared 
to  have  encountered  various  difficulties  and  dangers,  and 
seemed  so  overjoyed  at  again  meeting  with  European 
faces,  that  he  could  scarce  restrain  his  satisfaction  within 
bounds.  He  gave  us  an  interesting  account  of  his  jour- 
ney through  Mesopotamia,  and  of  the  various  perils  he 
had  encountered  on  his  road. 

At  a  short  distance  from  Merdan  he  met  with  the 
Yezedees,  an  extraordinary  sect,  who  entertain  a  sort  of 
pious  regard  for  the  Devil.  On  one  occasion  being  seat- 
ed between  two  men,  he  asked  one  of  them,  who  was  a 
Christian,  of  what  persuasion  the  other  was  ?  the  person 
alluded  to,  replied,  that  he  belonged  to  a  particular 
tribe,  who  neither  bowed  the  head,  nor  bent  the  knee  in 
prayer.     Mr.  Wolff  then  asked  him  if  he  was  not  one 


148  MR.  WOLFF. 

of  the  worshippers  of  the  Devil?  He  replied,  "We 
worship  nothing,  hut  we  never  pronounce  that  name 
which  you  have  just  uttered."  We  staid  so  short  a  time 
with  Mr.  Wolff,  that  we  were  unahle  to  gain  much  in- 
formation respecting  this  extraordinary  people,  who,  he 
told  us,  believed  that  the  Devil  was  a  fallen  angel,  but 
that  in  the  course  of  time  he  would  again  be  received 
into  divine  favour. 

We  were  much  interested  in  our  new  acquaintance, 
who,  in  the  course  of  conversation,  evinced  an  inex- 
haustible fund  of  anecdote,  and  showed  such  enthusiasm 
in  the  laborious  and  perilous  office  in  which  he  is  em- 
ployed, that,  though  we  may  not  agree  with  him  in  the 
efficacy  of  his  mission,  few  can  help  admiring  his  unaf- 
fected piety,  and  the  sincerity  of  his  religious  zeal. 

Mr.  Wolff  is  a  native  of  Germany,  and  was  in  early 
life  of  the  Jewish  persuasion,  from  which  he  was  con- 
verted to  Catholicism,  and  became  a  member  of  the 
"propaganda  fide."  Living  at  Rome,  he  observed  so 
many  practices  which  he  deemed  inconsistent  with  his 
notions  of  Christianity,  that  he  abjured  popery,  and 
published  such  an  anathema  against  his  Holiness  himself, 
that  his  friends,  in  regard  for  his  safety,  hurried  him 
out  of  the  Holy  City.  His  mission,  when  we  saw  him, 
was  from  the  London  Bible  Society,  to  inquire  into  the 
religious  state  of  the  Jews  in  the  East ;  and  the  result  of 
his  observations  have  since  appeared  in  a  periodical  work 
entitled  the  "  Jewish  Expositor." 

It  was  his  intention  to  have  sent  his  journal  home  by 
us  ;  but  as  our  arrangements  were  made  for  departing  in 
the  course  of  the  day,  and  we  found  that  his  baggage 
might  be  detained  for  some  time,  we  were  reluctantly 
compelled  to  forego  the  pleasure  of  its  perusal. 

We  had  various  visiters  this  morning,  who  came  either 


QUIT  BAGDAD.  149 

on  business  with  the  agent,  on  a  visit  to  Mr.  Wolff,  or 
to  take  leave  of  us.  During  the  day,  the  conversation 
was  carried  on  in  no  less  than  ten  languages.  Aga 
Saikeis  had  occasion  at  different  times  to  speak  Turkish, 
Arabic,  Armenian,  and  Persian  ;  Mr.  Wolff  spoke  Ita- 
lian, German,  and  Dutch ;  and  our  party  spoke  French 
to  the  Chief  of  Artillery,  Hindoostan  to  our  servants,  and 
English  among  ourselves. 

The  rest  of  the  day  was  less  pleasantly  occupied.  No 
sooner  had  we  retired  to  our  rooms,  than  we  were  be- 
sieged by  the  whole  household  of  Aga  Saikeis,  who  col- 
lectively and  individually  put  in  their  claims  to  be 
remunerated  for  some  alleged  services.  In  this  emer- 
gency, we  sought  their  master  to  protect  us  from  impo- 
sition. As  usual,  when  our  interest  required  his  pre- 
sence, he  had  some  convenient  occupation  that  called 
him  out  of  the  way ;  finding  our  condition  hopeless,  we 
acted  as  our  countrymen  always  do  in  like  cases — we 
paid  the  money,  not  failing,  when  we  found  Aga  Sai- 
keis, to  make  a  statement  of  our  grievances.  Instead 
of  assisting  us,  he  replied  with  his  favourite  theory,  that 
we  were  charged  more  than  usually  high  for  every 
thing,  because  "  the  English  name  was  so  great  in  Bag- 
dad." 

After  satisfying  the  demands  of  these  cormorants,  we 
sent  forward  our  servants  and  baggage,  and  at  five  in 
the  evening,  had  the  satisfaction  of  finding  ourselves  out- 
side the  walls  of  Bagdad.  On  our  road  to  Kermanshah, 
we  were  accompanied  by  Aga  Saikeis,  and  a  large  party 
of  native  gentlemen  for  some  distance  out  of  the  city,  and 
submitted  to  their  presence  with  patience,  knowing  that 
it  was  the  last  time  we  should  have  the  honour  of  their 
society,  of  which,  to  say  the  truth,  we  began  to  be  a  lit- 
tle tired. 

19 


150  SILVER-STICK  BEAREK. — BEXEE-SAD, 

We  had  not  proceeded  more  than  two  miles  on  our 
journey,  when  we  were  overtaken  by  the  silver-stick 
bearer,  who,  seeming  to  think  his  presence  necessary, 
said,  he  was  ordered  to  aceompany  us  to  Baeoubah,  two 
stages  distant ;  we  told  him  we  had  no  farther  occasion 
for  his  services,  but  the  hopes  of  more  fees  induced  him 
to  disregard  our  hint,  and  to  take  his  usual  station  in  our 
retinue. 

We  pursued  our  course  in  a  N.  N.  E.  direction.  At 
eight,  we  passed  some  mounds.  The  road  for  a  consi- 
derable distance  was  strewed  wih  broken  bricks;  we  saw 
a  number  of  old  water  courses.  We  traversed  for  three 
miles  what  appeared  to  be  the  old  bed  of  a  river.  These 
remains  indicate  a  former  state  of  culture,  of  which  they 
are  the  only  vestiges. 

With  the  exception  of  a  few  patches  of  verdure  in 
some  hollow  places,  where  the  rain  has  lodged,  the 
whole  extent  from  the  foot  of  the  wall  of  Bagdad  is  a 
barren  waste,  without  a  blade  of  vegetation  of  any  de- 
scription. At  ten  p.  m.  we  were  at  Benee  Sad;  our 
tents  were  pitched  at  the  north  side  of  the  caravanserai, 
on  the  edge  of  a  swamp,  over  which  the  wind  blew 
piercingly  cold.  Adjoining  the  caravanserai  is  a  small 
village,  from  which  we  procured  sheep  and  fowls.  We 
arrived,  very  hungry,  on  our  ground  but  had  nothing 
ready  to  eat.  In  our  journey  to  Babylon,  our  Bagdad 
host  laid  in  an  ample  store  of  cold  provisions,  and  bread 
sufficient  for  us  till  our  return.  On  the  present  occasion 
of  our  final  departure,  he  had  not  thought  any  attention 
of  this  kind  necessary,  the  ends  of  his  policy,  regarding 
us,  having  been  accomplished. 

The  advanced  guard  of  the  army  under  Mohummud 
Ali  Meerza,  the  late  Prince  of  Kermanshah,  marched  as 
far  as  this  place,  on  their  road  to  Bagdad.    They  have 


THROWING  THE  .TEHEED. THE  DIALA.  151 

left  striking  proofs  of  their  visit  in  the  ruinous  and  deso- 
late state  of  the  town,  which  they  destroyed. 

April  9. — We  left  Benee  Sad  at  seven  A.  m.  After 
three  hours  march  we  crossed  the  bed  of  the  river  Nar, 
which  tradition  states  to  have  been  the  ancient  bed  of 
the  Tigris  one  branch  of  which  falls  into  the  sea. 

Our  day's  march  was  not  without  its  amusement. 
Aboo  Nasir  having  indulged  in  a  stirrup  cup,  was  more 
than  usually  merry;  riding  before  us,  with  jereed  in 
hand,  he  dared  us  to  the  contest,  We  each  of  us  grasp- 
ed a  jereed,  and  in  turns  pursued  him,  but  his  legs, 
which  were  the  only  sober  members  of  his  body,  stuck 
so  close  to  the  saddle,  that  we  could  neither  upset  him, 
nor  touch  him  with  the  jereed,  as  he  always  managed  to 
elude  the  blow,  at  the  moment  we  expected  to  see  him 
prostrate  on  the  ground. 

At  eleven  we  arrived  at  the  river  Diala,  the  Delas,  or 
Pasitrigis  of  ancient  history :  we  crossed  it  on  a  large 
platform  ferry,  that  carried  over  the  cattle  with  the  load 
on  their  backs. 

Near  the  ferry  was  a  garden,  in  which  we  remained 
till  our  party  was  ready  to  proceed ;  here  we  drank  cof- 
fee, smoked  our  pipes,  and  ate  sweet  limes,  which  we 
found  truly  refreshing,  as  the  heat  was  very  oppressive. 
That  curious  optical  delusion,  called  by  the  Persians  the 
Saharaub,*  was  so  strong  that  we  were  deceived  into  a 
belief  that  we  were  close  to  the  Diala  long  before  we 
reached  it. 

From  the  ferry  we  rode  about  two  miles  along  the 
banks  of  the  river,  and  arrived  at  Bacoubah,  our  second 
day's  march.  This  appears  to  have  been  a  very  consi- 
derable place,  but  has  been  laid  almost  entirely  in  ruins 

*  Literally,  «  water  of  the  desert." 


A  BOO  NASIR' S  REQUEST. 

by  the  army  of  Coords,  under  the  command  of  Mohum- 
mud  Ali  Meerza,  late  Prince  governor  of  Kermanshah, 
whose  head  quarters  had  been  established  here  for  some 
time.  The  cholera  morbus  breaking  out  among  them 
caused  their  speedy  return  to  Kermanshah,  where  the 
Prince  soon  after  died. 

The  time  he  wasted  at  this  station  saved  the  Pasha- 
lick;  had  he  marched  immediately  to  Bagdad,  it  is  the 
general  opinion  that  he  would  have  obtained  possession 
of  it,  so  great  was  the  terror  his  former  successes  had 
occasioned. 

Two  or  three  attempts  were  made  to-day  to  frighten 
us  into  a  belief  of  robbers,  and  to  urge  the  necessity  of  a 
guard  of  twelve  men.  In  the  evening  we  were  inform- 
ed that  three  fine  horses  had  been  carried  off  the  night 
before,  from  the  very  spot  where  we  were  encamped. 
Ahoo  Nasir  upon  hearing  this  volunteered  to  keep 
watch,  and  sent  to  us  for  a  bottle  of  brandy  to  keep  him 
awake ;  whether  owing  to  his  vigilance,  or  not,  certainly 
no  robbers  came. 

April  10. — As  Aboo  Nasir  was  to  leave  us  this  stage, 
he  came  to  us  in  the  morning  and  asked  us  to  give  him  a 
written  character,  which  he  might  show  to  any  of  our 
countrymen  pursuing  the  same  route.  As  soon  as  he  had 
obtained  the  document,  he  said  to  us,  "  I  can't  think  of 
asking  you  for  any  liquor,  I  therefore,  positively,  shall 
not  accept  more  than  five  bottles  of  spirits."  Such  an 
appeal  it  was  impossible  to  resist ;  so  we  gave  him  the 
five  bottles,  and  he  left  the  tent,  his  drunken  eyes  gleam- 
ing with  anticipated  enjoyment. 

We  were  setting  off  on  the  journey,  when,  as  we  had 
premised,  it  was  intimated  that  a  present  would  be  very 
acceptable  to  the  silver  stick  bearer;  but  we  were  so  dis- 
gusted at  this  additional  attempt  at  extortion,  by  one  we 


ABOO  nasir's  FAREWELL.  153 

had  treated  so  well,  that  we  unanimously  resisted  his  de- 
mand, advising  him  to  go  for  payment  to  him  who  had 
sent  him  on  so  fruitless  an  errand.  As  we  were  about  to 
depart,  Aboo  Nasir,  drunk  as  usual,  came  rolling  in  his 
saddle  to  bid  us  good-bye;  his  jolly  scarlet  face  being 
humorously  contrasted  with  the  serious  disappointed 
demeanour  of  his  companion  of  the  silver  stick. 


154  RUINS  OF  ARTEMITA. 


CHAPTER  XII. 

Ruins  of  Artemita — Historical  notice  of  Shehreban — Ruins  of 
Apollonia — Crossing  the  Diala — Ancient  Tradition — The  Ha- 
merine  or  Carduchian  Mountains. 

We  started  at  three  p.  m.  that  we  might  have  time, 
before  dark,  to  examine  ruins  which  lay  on  one  side  of 
the  road,  two  hours'  journey  from  hence.  Our  road  was 
N.  E.,  over  grass  plains  highly  capable  of  cultivation, 
with  numerous  encampments  of  Illyauts,  through  two  of 
which  we  passed,  and  were  treated  by  the  wanderers 
with  the  greatest  attention  and  respect. 

Seven  miles  E.  of  Bacoubah  we  came  upon  ruins, 
which  I  consider  to  be  those  of  the  ancient  city  of  Arte- 
mita, the  favourite  residence  of  Chosroes,  King  of  Persia, 
the  rival  of  the  Emperor  Heraclius.  The  first  was  a 
square  mound  of  bricks  facing  the  cardinal  points,  resem- 
bling in  form  the  Gabri  Bina  on  the  road  to  Babylon.  It 
was  called  by  our  guides  Hud  Mootsir,  and  is  probably 
the  site  of  some  temple  in  the  suburbs  of  the  city.  A 
mile  beyond  this  temple  commence  the  ruins  themselves, 
which,  from  the  regularity  of  the  mounds,  appear  to 
have  been  built  with  much  taste  and  judgment:  a  succes- 
sion of  longitudinal  mounds,  bearing  N.  and  S.,  and 
traversed  by  others  E.  and  W.,  show  the  regularity  with 
which  the  streets  must  have  been  formed.  In  the  wes- 
tern extremity  of  these  ruins,  in  a  situation  that  would 
have  constituted  the  principal  street,  is  a  mound  higher 
than  the  rest,  which  we  suppose  to  have  formed  the  roy- 
al residence.     Before  it  is  a  grass  plain,  about  as  large 


RUINS  OF  ARTEM1TA.  155 

as  Lincoln's  Inn  Square,  which  I  shall  call  the  park  or 
garden  of  the  sovereign :  of  this,  the  circumstance  that 
the  grass  grows  in  every  place  but  where  it  is  impeded 
by  the  foundation  of  buildings,  is  a  sufficient  indication. 
Immediately  before  the  supposed  palace,  there  are  seve- 
ral other  square  spaces  covered  with  grass,  and  may  pro- 
bably have  once  been  the  gardens  of  the  city.  The 
whole  is  surrounded  by  mounds,  which  mark  the  foun- 
dations of  the  outer  walls ;  and  circular  bastions  may  be 
traced  at  regular  distances :  even  the  vacant  spaces,  oc- 
casioned by  the  entrance  gates,  are  very  apparent ;  many 
of  the  bricks  are  fourteen  inches  square,  of  the  same  ap- 
pearance and  dimensions  as  those  at  Babylon.  We  saw 
here  great  quantities  of  broken  pottery :  Mr.  Hamilton 
found  part  of  an  enamelled  vessel,  on  which  was  the  fig- 
ure of  a  head  encircled  with  a  wreath.  We  were  in- 
formed, that  after  a  shower  of  rain,  the  Arabs  were  in 
the  habit  of  finding  amulets,  and  numerous  coins  of  gold, 
silver,  and  copper.  In  the  short  space  of  half  an  hour, 
Mr.  Hart  picked  up  twenty-one  copper  coins:  on  one 
of  these  we  could  distinctly  trace  the  head  of  a  male  fig- 
ure on  one  side,  and  that  of  a  female  on  the  other.  This 
would  favour  the  conjecture  of  a  residence  of  Chosroes, 
many  of  whose  coins  were  stamped  on  one  side  with  his 
own  head,  and  on  the  reverse  with  that  of  his  queen, 
the  fair  Sira  or  Shereen.  The  Arabs  called  this  place 
Kurustur,  but  could  give  us  no  farther  information  re- 
specting it.  We  regretted  not  having  been  previous- 
ly informed  that  these  ruins  were  so  well  worthy  atten- 
tion, that  we  might  have  encamped  in  the  vicinity,  and 
devoted  a  day  to  their  examination. 
D'Anville*  places  Artemita  near  a  town  called  De- 

*  D'Anville  Mem.  de  l'Academie  des  Inscriptions,  torn,  xxxii. 
pp.  268".  571. 


156  SITE  OF  ARTEMITA., 

scara :  and  Kinnier  *  considers  it  the  same  as  Kisra  She- 
reen,  a  ruined  city  in  the  Hamerine  Mountains,  five 
days'  journey  hence. 

As  some  explanation  is  necessary  for  differing  from 
two  such  respectable  authorities,  it  may  be  mentioned, 
that  our  party,  after  carefully  examining  the  place  men- 
tioned by  D'Anville,  could  find  no  traces  of  buildings 
whatever.  As  the  learned  antiquary  never  visited  this 
country,  and  formed  his  opinion  from  geographical  de- 
duction, I  shall  consider  the  absence  of  ruins  a  sufficient 
reason  for  rejecting  his  opinion;  and  state  my  objections 
against  that  of  Mr.  Kinnier. 

Gibbon  f  says,  "  In  the  space  of  twenty -four  years, 
he  (Chosroes)  was  deterred  by  superstition  or  resentment 
from  approaching  the  gates  of  Ctesiphon;  and  his  fa- 
vourite residence,  Artemita,  or  Destagerd,  was  situate 
beyond  the  Tigris,  about  sixty  miles  to  the  north  of  the 
capital." 

It  is  well  known  that  the  Persian  monarchs  were  ac- 
customed to  pass  their  summer  months  in  the  mountains, 
for  the  benefit  of  the  cool  air,  and  during  the  winter  to 
reside  in  the  plains,  f 

Strabo  §  informs  us,  that  on  account  of  the  mildness 
of  the  climate,  Ctesiphon  was  the  winter  residence  of 
the  Parthian  kings:  it  is,  therefore,  highly  improbable 
that  Destagerda  should  have  been  in  so  elevated  a  situa- 
tion as  Kisra  Shereen ;  besides,  that  city,  instead  of  six- 
ty, is  nearly  a  hundred  miles  north  of  Ctesiphon.  Isido- 
rus  of  Charax,  and  Strabo,  ||  both  speak  of  Artemita  as 
a  great  and  populous  city.  D'Herbelot  gives  an  account 
of  its  former  splendour,  and  Theophanes  of  its  subse- 
quent ruin. 

*  Kinnier's  Geographical  Memoir  of  the  Persian  Empire. 
t  Gibbon,  vol.  viii.  chap.  xlvi.  t  Strabo,  lib.  xi.  p.  522. 

§  Lib.  xvi.  p.  743*  !i  Strabo,  lib.  xvi.  p.  744. 


DEPARTURE  FROM  ARTEMITA.  157 

In  the  year  627  the  Greek  Emperor  Heraclius  took 
Artemita,  and  in  revenge  for  the  numerous  calamities 
that  had  been  inflicted  by  Chosroes  on  the  Greek  pro- 
vinces, destroyed  with  fire  all  the  valuables  that  the 
army  could  not  carry  away.  The  renowned  Chosroes  es- 
caped through  a  hole  in  the  wall,  and  sought  refuge  in 
the  hut  of  a  neighbouring  peasant. 

From  the  destruction  of  Artemita  may  be  dated,  not 
only  the  overthrow  of  Chosroes,  but  the  extinction  of  the 
whole  race  of  Guebres.  A  very  few  years  after,  the 
mighty  Mahomet  appeared,  and  involved  Greeks  and 
Persians  in  one  common  ruin. 

On  leaving  the  ruins  of  Artemita,  we  followed  the 
course  of  a  canal  for  about  three  miles.  We  met  with 
several  oval  earthen  vessels  on  its  banks,  and  many  re- 
mains of  buildings.  We  then  passed  over  a  rich  plain, 
with  numerous  water-courses  for  irrigation ;  the  Country 
was  well  cultivated.  The  road  was  mostly  flooded,  and 
in  many  parts  very  difficult  to  pass. 

We  saw  the  fires  of  Illyaut  camps  in  every  direction, 
but  met  with  none  of  the  plunderers,  which  we  had  been 
taught  to  expect. 

We  reached  Shehreban  at  eleven  o'clock  p.  m.,  and 
found  it  almost  entirely  deserted.  It  is  a  place  of  con- 
siderable extent.  We  wandered  through  the  desolate 
streets  some  time,  without  finding  any  house  with  inha- 
bitants, till  we  came  to  a  caravanserai,  where  we  met  a 
man  who  told  us  that  all  the  inhabitants  had  left  the 
place,  which  had  been  sacked  and  ruined  by  the  Coords. 

We  pitched  our  tents  a  quarter  of  a  mile  from  the 
town :  and  remained  the  following  day  at  Shehreban,  to 
enable  us  to  examine  some  ruins  in  the  neighbourhood. 

April  11. — In  the  morning,  Mr.  Hart  and  myself 
mounted  our  horses,  and  took  with  us  a  guide.  About 
three  miles  to  the  N.  of  Shehreban,  we  came  to  a  spot 

20 


Io8  LNS  OF  APOLLONIA. 

bearing  the  usual  indications  of  ruined  cities  in  the  East. 
The  most  remarkable  of  these  was  a  square  space  of  half 
a  mile,  enclosed  in  a  wall :  the  sides  to  the  N.  and  E. 
are  to  be  traced;  towards  the  S.  and  W.  the  wall  is  in 
many  places  thirty  feet  high.  Three  hundred  yards  to 
the  E.  side,  is  a  high  abrupt  mound  of  sun-burnt  bricks, 
strewed  as  usual  with  broken  tiles,  fragments  of  orna- 
mented pottery,  &c.  We  could  gain  nothing  satisfactory 
from  our  guide,  of  the  traditions  respecting  this  place : 
he  called  it  Uske  Bagdad  (Ancient  Bagdad,)  and  said 
that  it  was  the  ruin  of  a  city  built  by  Chosroes,  to  whom 
all  doubtful  remains  of  ancient  buildings  are  attributed 
in  this  country. 

According  to  D'Anville,  this  spot  is  the  site  of  the 
ancient  Apollonia,  a  town  which  gave  the  name  of  Apol- 
loniatis  to  the  surrounding  district.  It  was  probably  co- 
eval with  Seleuoia  on  the  banks  of  the  Tigris,  and  built 
by  Seleucus,  who  doubtless  gave  it  the  name,  to  comme- 
morate his  pretended  descent  from  Apollo.*  In  the 
early  part  of  the  reign  of  Antiochus  the  Great,  Molo, 
the  Satrap  of  Media,  presuming  on  the  youth  of  the 
king,  led  an  army  against  him,  and  rendered  himself 
master  of  Apolloniatis ;  and  after  various  successes,  re- 
tired with  his  army  into  the  city  of  Apollonia,  to  which 
place  he  was  pursued  by  Antiochus,  and  being  betrayed 
by  his  followers,  killed  himself  in  despair. 

From  these  ruins,  we  proceeded  to  an  extraordinary- 
looking  building,  which  formed  a  long  and  solid  mass. 
The  bricks,  which  are  fourteen  inches  square,  are  con- 

*  Respecting  the  divine  origin  of  Seleucus  we  have  these  words 
in  Justin  : — "  Laudice  cum  nupta  esset  Antiocho,  claro  inter 
Philippi  duces  viro,  visa  est  sibi  per  quietem  ex  concubitu  Apol- 
linis  concepisse." 

This  place  is  mentioned  in  Ptolemy,  lib.  vi.,  cap.  ,1.  Polybius. 
lib.  5. 


RUINS    OF   APOT.LOXIA.  159 

nected  together  by  a  hard  and  beautiful  cement,  compo- 
sed of  lime-stone  and  alabaster. .  This  building,  general- 
ly speaking,  is  in  high  preservation.  To  the  eastward, 
at  regular  distances  from  each  other,  protrude  sixteen 
well -formed  bastions ;  twelve  of  them  are  entire,  two  in 
rather  a  ruined  state,  and  two  with  the  bases  only  visible. 
The  W.  side  is  a  flat  wall,  the  brick-work  of  which  is  in 
most  places  very  perfect ;  corresponding  with  each  bas- 
tion, is  a  regular  ascent  from  the  opposite  side,  and  a 
kind  of  arch  across.  In  the  wall,  between  each  bastion, 
are  three  loop-holes,  which  one  would  suppose  were  for 
the  admittance  of  air  to  a  subterranean  passage,  but  its 
appearance  impressed  us  with  the  idea  that  the  whole  is 
a  solid  substance.  The  building  measures  from  the  sum- 
mit of  the  bastion  to  its  visible  base,  twenty-eight  feet, 
the  semi-circumference  is  one  hundred  feet,  and  the 
space  between  each  bastion  fifty-eight  feet.  The  Arabs 
call  this  place  the  Zindan,  or  prison,  and,  with  their  usu- 
al love  for  the  marvellous,  tell  you  that  in  it  are  a  num- 
ber of  cells,  inhabited  by  genii,  who  take,  off  the  heads 
of  every  one  who  may  be  unfortunate  enough  to  enter 
this  enchanted  habitation.  If,  as  its  name  implies,  it  was 
formerly  a  prison,  the  loss  of  head  might  occur  to  the 
luckless  inmate  without  the  aid  of  supernatural  agency, 
and  some  such  circumstance  has  probably  given  rise  to 
the  tradition. 

In  the  evening,  we  visited  Shehreban,  or  rather  its 
ruins,  as  there  was  scarcely  one  entire  house  remaining. 
A  winding  stream  of  water,  occasioned  by  a  cut  from  the 
Diala,  traverses  nearly  every  house.  This  stream  has 
been  occasionally  embanked  with  masonry,  of  which 
many  portions  remain  that  appear  ancient,  and  may  have 
been  built  during  the  time  of  the  former  city.  There 
are  also  numerous  bridges  of  bricks,  forming  communica- 


160  HU1NS  OF  SHE  IIIl  KB  AN. 

tions  with  the  different  streets,  but,  apparently,  not  old- 
er than  the  modern  town. 

No  remains  of  ancient  buildings  exist,  and  the  present 
town  bids  fair  to  add  its  heap  of  ashes  to  its  predecessor. 
It  was  for  some  time  in  the  hands  of  the  Persians.  The 
works  they  have  left  here,  and  at  the  other  places  we 
have  passed,  give  abundant  proofs  of  their  expertness  in 
spoliation.  The  spectacle  it  presents  is  truly  wretched. 
The  roofs  of  most  of  the  houses  are  fallen  in ;  the  wood 
having  been  probably  used  for  fuel. 

This  town  was  not  many  months  back  one  of  the  most 
populous  and  thriving  in  the  Pashalick  of  Bagdad ;  now 
the  whole  population  consists  of  about  three  families. 

The  mosque,  which  is  very  large,  has  been  spared  by 
these  marauders,  probably  from  a  religious  feeling.  The 
same  inducement  has  made  them  leave  the  caravanserai 
untouched,  for  the  use  of  their  countrymen  on  a  pilgrim- 
age to  the  tomb  of  their  saint.  Whatever  may  be  their 
motives,  the  effect  of  these  three  buildings  in  preserva- 
tion, only  serves  to  complete  the  picture  of  desolation,  by 
the  contrast  they  bear  with  the  rest  of  the  city. 

Before  we  returned  to  our  tents,  we  examined  the  for- 
tifications and  outer  works.  Some  of  these  are  almost 
level  with  the  ground.  Those  that  remain  standing, 
every  where  pierced  with  cannon  shot,  have  left  ample 
traces  of  its  destructive  powers ;  here  the  action  must 
have  been  desperate;  the  point  of  attack  being  on  the  E. 
side  of  the  city,  it  must  have  been  necessary  for  the  be- 
siegers to  have  escaladed  the  garden- walls,  after  having 
carried  the  outworks.  We  could  distinctly  trace  the 
several  breaches  that  had  been  made. 

April  12. — We  left  Shehreban  early  in  the  morning. 
We  sent  forward  our  baggage  and  servants  to  Khizil  Ru- 
baut%  distant  eighteen  miles.     After  an  hour's  ride,  we 


IIUIXS  OF  THE  DIAL  A.  161 

diverged  from  our  road  two  miles  to  the  N.  W.  to  see 
a  place  where  the  enamoured  Khosro  is  reported  to 
have  built  a  palace  for  the  fair  Shereen,  situate  on  the 
right  bank  of  the  Diala.  The  country  was  covered  with 
verdure,  chiefly  wild  barley  and  oats,  and  watered  with 
numerous  rills.  From  a  distance,  we  thought  we  could 
distinctly  trace  the  outline  of  an  extensive  building.  On 
our  nearer  approach,  we  perceived  that  a  piece  of  rock 
of  peculiar  form  had  caused  this  delusion;  an  hour  and  a 
half  brought  us  to  the  Diala,  at  its  embouchure  from  the 
hills.  The  whole  of  this  spot  showed  marks  rather  of 
the  commencement  of  some  undertaking,  than  the  re- 
mains of  a  finished  building.  It  is  possible  that  Khosro 
might  have  here  been  engaged  in  constructing  an  edifice, 
when  the  approach  of  the  Emperor  Heraelius,  obliged 
him  to  make  so  precipitate  a  retreat. 

On  the  left  bank  of  the  Diala,  we  observed  what  had 
the  appearance  of  a  large  unfinished  flight  of  steps,  com- 
posed of  masses  of  stone  four  feet  in  length,  and  one  and 
a  half  in  depth  and  thickness;  this  extended  nearly  to 
the  water's  edge,  and  is  all  we  met  with  to  indicate  the 
site  of  a  palace. 

We  were  ferried  across  this  classical  Diala,  on  a  small 
raft,  called  a  kelluckj  composed  of  inflated  sheep  skins, 
supporting  a  platform  of  reeds,  which  had  been  prepar- 
ed on  purpose  for  us.  The  raft  was  managed  by  two 
men,  and  though  one  of  them  had  lost  his  right  arm  from 
the  elbow,  he  appeared  to  be  equally  expert  with  his 
companion.  The  stream  is  about  a  hundred  yards  wide, 
and  very  rapid :  they  conducted  the  raft  with  paddles  of 
the  most  primitive  description,  formed  also  of  reeds : 
notwithstanding  the  fragile  texture  of  the  platform, 
which  one  of  our  party  fell  through,  on  entering  upon  it, 
we  went  and  returned  without  accident:  we  landed  at 


162  PALACE  OF  SilEREEX. 

the  place  they  call  the  palace  of  Shereen,  close  to  the 
river  side. 

Instead  of  the  large  building  which  appeared  at  a  dis- 
tance, we  found  a  perpendicular  rock,  with  some  exca- 
vations, apparently  the  stations  of  ascetics.  In  one  of 
them  is  the  figure  of  a  man  rudely  traced  on  the  rock, 
with  some  marks  like  hieroglyphics  near  it.  The  largest 
cave  is  about  fourteen  feet  square,  and  vaulted  in  the 
roof ;  the  rock  is  a  mass  of  soft  reddish  sandstone,  rest- 
ing on  a  stratum  of  large  oyster  shells,  and  bedded  in 
clay.  On  the  top  of  this  rock,  are  many  parts  scarped 
for  the  foundation  of  buildings,  and  a  small  portion  of  a 
wall  remaining.  To  the  N.  E.  of  this  scarped  part,  and 
considerably  higher,  are  two  large  heaps  of  rounded 
pebbles  of  limestone,  apparently  an  original  deposit. 

The  view  from  this  eminence  was  very  fine,  contrasted 
with  the  scenery  we  had  just  left.  The  Diala  could  be 
traced  some  distance,  winding  among  the  hills,  and  to  a 
considerable  extent  over  the  plain  we  had  traversed, 
which  it  fertilizes.  The  numerous  water-courses  we 
have  passed  in  our  journey  from  Bagdad,  have  been  sup- 
plied from  its  stream,  which  at  one  time  they  must  have 
almost  absorbed. — We  were  rather  astonished  to  hear  our 
Arabs  relate  the  well  known  tradition  of  Herodotus,  that 
in  consequence  of  one  of  the  horses  dedicated  to  the  sun 
having  been  lost  in  this  river,  Cyrus  vowed  he  would 
make  it  so  contemptible  a  stream,  that  a  lady  should  be 
able  to  pass  over  it  without  wetting  her  tunick. 

On  regaining  the  road,  we  arrived  at  the  lowest  range 
of  the  Hamerine  Mountains :  having  so  long  been  ac- 
customed to  traverse  a  dead  flat,  we  were  much  gratified 
at  being  relieved  from  the  usual  monotony  of  our  march, 
though  the  change  was  only  from  desert  plains  to  barren 
hills. 


MOUNTAINS  OF  CURDISTAN.  163 

This  chain  of  mountains,  which  formerly  separated  the 
empires  of  Assyria  and  Media,  was  called  Mount  Za- 
gros,  and  distinctly  marking  the  limits  of  these  once 
splendid  rivals,  seemed  to  form  a  kind  of  neutral  barrier 
between  them.  The  chain,  commencing  in  Armenia, 
and  extending  to  the  Persian  Gulf,  may  still  be  consider- 
ed as  fixing  the  boundaries  of  the  same  countries,  dis- 
tinguished in  modern  language  as  Arabian  and  Persian 
Irak. 

It  will  doubtless  be  remembered,  that  the  mountains 
of  Curdistan  have,  from  time  immemorial,  been  inhabit- 
ed by  wandering  tribes,  who,  though  formerly  in  the 
immediate  vicinity  of  Media  and  Assyria,  led,  unawed 
by  their  civilized  neighbours,  a  lawless,  predatory  life. 
This  people,  who,  beyond  a  doubt,  formed  one  of  the 
tribes  of  Ishmael,  are  mentioned  as  the  Carduchi  by  Xe- 
nophon,  who  had  good  reason  to  remember  them,  from 
the  reception  they^  gave  him,  and  the  ten  thousand 
Greeks,  after  the  memorable  battle  of  Canaxa.  In  the 
more  modern  appellation  of  Coords,  they  have,  during  a 
lapse  of  ages,  been  always  observed  to  adhere  to  the  pre- 
datory habits  of  their  progenitors,  whenever  their  tur- 
bulent spirit  brought  them  forward  in  the  page  of  his- 
tory. The  Emperor  Saladin,  himself  a  Coord,  from  his 
contest  with  our  forefathers  in  the  chivalrous  days  of  the 
Crusades,  has  left  behind  him  a  name  that  must  be  fami- 
liar to  every  one. 


164  KHIZIL  KUBAUT. 


CHAPTER  XIIL 


Ruin  at  Baradan — Gaur,  the  City  of  Magicians — Khanaki — Our 
Janizary — Calor,  a  Tribe  of  Banditti — Annoyances  of  the 
Journey — The  Shurgee  or  Siroc  Wind — Ruins  of  Kisra  She- 
reen — We  are  visited  by  Robbers — Dangerous  Adventure. 


We  continued  our  march  for  about  ^ve  miles  over  a 
succession  of  eminences,  with  rounded  flattened  tops, 
composed  of  lime-stone  shingles.  The  road  was  very 
rugged,  and  mostly  over  a  succession  of  deep  narrow 
ruts  formed  by  the  passage  of  cattle.  On  arriving  at  the 
summit  of  this  mountain,  wfe  came  in  sight  of  an  exten- 
sive plain:  and,  at  what  appeared  the  distance  of  two 
miles,  we  saw  the  caravanserai  of  Khizil  Rubaut.  The 
weather  being  intensely  hot,  we  comforted  ourselves  with 
the  hope  of  soon  reaching  our  destination;  but  we  were 
wofully  disappointed  in  finding,  that  instead  of  two  we 
had  to  traverse  a  tract  of  nine  miles.  The  plain  which 
we  now  entered,  was  rich,  and  for  the  most  part  well 
cultivated.  After  a  march  of  three  hours  we  arrived  at 
Khizil  Rubaut,  completely  worn  out  with  the  heat  and 
closeness  of  the  atmosphere. 

Our  tents  were  pitched  to  the  north  of  the  town. 
Khizil  Rubaut,  in  common  with  its  neighbours,  has  suf- 
fered from  the  vindictive  spirits  of  its  Coordish  enemies. 
A  body  of  the  Pasha's  troops  were  stationed  here,  and 
gave  to  it  a  less  desolate  appearance  than  the  other  town 
through  which  we  passed. 


ANCIENT  BUILDINGS.  165 

The  valley  abounds  in  remains  of  ancient  buildings,  and 
proves  how  populous  this  country  must  have  been  in 
times  of  old.  To  the  south-west  of  Khizil  Rubaut  are 
some  extensive  ruins,  possibly  the  site  of  the  ancient 
Celonse,  a  town  said  to  be  situated  near  Mount  Zagros, 
through  which  the  army  of  Xerxes  marched  on  its  road 
from  Susa  to  Critalis  in  Capadocia,  the  general  rendez- 
vous of  that  monarch  preparatory  to  his  intended  inva- 
sion of  Greece. 

At  two  hours'  journey,  near  a  small  village  called 
Baradan,  is  a  large  mound.  Three  quarters  of  a  mile 
to  the  E.  N.  E.,  were  the  ruins  of  the  ancient  City  of 
Gaur,  called,  in  the  Arabian  Nights,  the  City  of  En- 
chanters. Three  miles  to  the  N.  W.  are  the  ruins  of 
another  ancient  town,  said  to  be  of  very  great  extent. 

We  were  so  much  fatigued  with  the  heat  of  our 
march,  and  our  visit  to  the  excavations,  that  we  felt  no 
inclination  to  undertake  any  distant  excursion  ;  we  there- 
fore confined  our  examination  to  some  old  water-mills 
about  a  mile  from  our  tents,  to  which  we  walked  in  the 
evening.  The  channel  supplying  water  was  broken  down 
and  dry.  Respecting  the  machinery,  we  could  only 
judge  by  the  disposition  of  the  masonry,  that  the  water 
had  been  supplied  from  a  height  in  the  manner  of  vertical 
wheels  with  buckets.  A  small  Martello-shaped  tower  is 
attached  to  each,  with  a  spiral  staircase  to  the  top,  which 
has  probably  been  constructed  to  defend  the  works.  I 
am  the  more  inclined  to  this  opinion  from  having  seen 
the  same  sort  of  towers  near  Bussorah,  to  protect  travel- 
lers from  the  Wahhabbees,  and  at  Muscat,  where  a  num- 
ber were  regularly  fortified  for  the  purpose  of  defending 
the  stream  which  supplied  the  whole  town  with  water. 

Jlpril  13. — We  halted  to-day,  to  examine  some  of  the 
ruins  in  the  neighbourhood.  Mr.  Lamb  and  I  visited 
Baradan.,  two  hours  distance  from  Khizil  Rubaut.     We 


1GG  A  FIRE-TEMPLE. 

took  with  us  our  Janizary,  and  a  guide,  and  proceeded  in 
a  S.  W.  direction.  Two  miles  from  our  tents  we  cross- 
ed the  Diala  on  a  kellack.  The  stream  is  as  broad  and 
as  rapid  here  as  at  the  place  where  we  went  over 
yesterday  :  we  were  obliged  to  make  our  horses  swim 
over.  From  the  Diala,  we  followed  the  course  of  a  canal 
which  served  to  irrigate  the  plain.  In  an  hour  and  a 
half  we  found  ourselves  at  Baradan,  which,  in  common 
with  other  villages,  has  suffered  from  the  inroads  of  the 
Coordish  army.  A  mile  and  a  half  before  we  reached 
Baradan,  we  found  the  road  strewed  with  broken  bricks 
and  small  mounds,  the  remains  of  buildings. 

To  the  S.  W.  of  the  village,  is  a  mound  little  inferior 
to  the  Tower  of  Babel.  It  consists  of  a  raised  platform 
two  hundred  yards  square,  and  thirty  feet  high.  Erom 
this  mass  rises  a  quadrangular  tower,  ninety  yards  long, 
fifty  yards  wide,  and  eighty  feet  high. 

The  whole  consists  of  earth  mixed  with  rounded  peb- 
bles ;  a  portion  to  the  N.  E.  which  has  recently  fallen 
down,  exhibits  its  structure  of  successive  layers.y  From 
the  quantity  of  broken  bricks,  it  has  evidently,  like  the 
Babylonian  ruins,  been  coated  with  them.  The  centre 
of  the  mound  is  much  injured ;  huge  ravines  being 
formed  on  three  sides  of  it  by  the  rain.  We  found  nu- 
merous fragments  of  broken  pottery,  &c.  Near  the  top 
of  the  upper  mass,  we  saw  a  vessel  containing  the  bones 
of  animals. 

The  appearance  of  this  mound  corresponds  with  the 
accounts  given  by  Strabo  and  Pausanias  of  some  Fire- 
temples,  which  on  account  of  their  being  situated  on  large 
mounds  of  earth,  they  called  M<pot  tcupouhts  from  their  re- 
semblance to  a  woman's  breast.  Diodorus  states  that 
Semiramis  erected  a  number  of  them  in  Assyria.  From 
the  reverence  in  which  these  places  of  worship  were  held, 
and  from  their  capability  of  defence,  they  became  reposi- 


CONDUCT  OP  THE  VILLAGERS.  167 

tories  of  treasure.  Strabo  mentions  that  in  this  country* 
(Assyria)  there  was  one  called  Azara,  (a  name  signfying 
treasure)  which  was  plundered  by  the  Parthians  of  ten 
thousand  talents. 

During  the  time  that  we  were  occupied  in  these  ruins, 
a  crowd  of  villagers  collected  about  us,  and  smoked  their 
pipes  with  us;  and  though  our  appearance  attracted 
their  curiosity,  they  behaved  to  us  with  great  respect. 
This  was  not  a  little  heightened  by  our  worthy  janizary, 
who  we  overheard  telling  them  that  Mr.  Lamb  was  the 
King  of  England's  principal  physician,  and  that  I  was  a 
general  in  the  royal  army.  From  the  manner  in  which 
this  officer  has  conducted  himself  towards  us,  he  doubtless 
believes  us  to  be  the  high  personages  he  has  represent- 
ed;  and  we  strongly  suspect,  that  we  are  indebted  to 
Aga  Saikeis  for  these  unsolicited  titles,  which  always  oc- 
casioned us  much  inconvenienee,  the  usual  companion  of 
greatness ;  and,  as  is  often  the  case  with  high  honours, 
were  attended  with  some  danger. 

We  returned  by  the  same  road  that  we  came,  and 
reached  our  tents  at  five  in  the  evening.  Messrs.  Hart 
and  Hamilton  had  been,  in  the  mean  time,  to  the  ruins  of 
Gaur,  the  city  of  Magicians  of  the  Arabian  Nights, 
which  lies  to  the  N.  E.  of  Khizil  Rubaut,  at  the  distance 
of  about  a  mile. 

April  14. — We  left  Khizil  Rubaut  at  four  in  the 
morning.  Our  road  lying  nearly  N.  E.  was  chiefly 
over  a  succession  of  sand-stone  hills,  similar  to  those  we 
had  already  passed.  As  we  were  now  approaching  the 
frontier,  our  chief  muleteer  was  so  well  acquainted  with  the 
customs  of  the  road,  as  to  know  that  more  than  usual  cau- 
tion was  necessary.  Whenever  he  found  us  either  strag- 
gling to  the  rear,  or  going  too  much  in  advance,  he  rode 

*  Strabo,  lib.  16.  p.  1080. 


1GS  QUIT  KHIZIL  RUBAUT. 

up  to  us  and  requested  that  we  would  keep  close  to  the 
baggage,  telling  us  much  danger  was  to  be  apprehended 
from  robbers.  By  his  good  generalship  we  marched  in 
a  more  diciplined  manner  than  ordinary,  and  reached 
Khanaki  at  nine  in  the  morning.  We  crossed  the  Diala, 
which  washes  the  northern  walls  of  the  town,  over  a 
handsome  bridge,  built  by  the  Persians  to  facilitate  their 
pilgrimage  to  Meshed  Ali.  About  a  mile  to  the  N.  we 
pitched  our  tents  in  the  neighbourhood  of  some  gardens. 

Khanaki,  which  is  of  reputed  antiquity,  defines  the 
frontier  of  the  Pashalick  of  Bagdad,  and  has  met  with  a 
fate  natural  to  its  unfortunate  position  between  two  rival 
powers.  About  two  years  ago  it  was  taken  by  Mohum- 
mud  Ali  Meerza,  and  must  at  that  time  have  had  its 
share  of  the  calamities  of  war.  Upon  the  retreat  of  the 
Prince  into  Kermanshah,  he  left  behind  him  a  garrison  of 
three  hundred  Coords,  who  were  surprised  by  the  Pasha 
of  Bagdad,  and,  without  exception,  put  to  the  sword. 
This  catastrophe  occurred  only  six  months  back. 

The  works  of  devastation  here  are  even  more  marked 
than  at  any  place  we  have  yet  seen.  The  fruit-trees  in 
the  gardens  appeared  to  have  been  recently  cut  down ; 
the  village  is  one  entire  scene  of  desolation.  The  cara- 
vanserai, which  is  large  and  in  good  repair,  stands  to  the 
W.  side,  and  when  we  arrived  was  crowded  with  travel- 
lers. The  few  inhabitants  who  have  come  after  the 
general  slaughter  which  so  recently  took  place,  occupy 
some  huts  adjoining;  but  we  could  procure  nothing  from 
them,  and  were  supplied  with  some  bread  and  eggs  by 
the  wandering  tribes. 

As  the  power  of  the  Pasha  could  now  no  longer  avail 
us,  we  took  leave  of  our  janizary.  He  was  well  satisfi- 
ed with  the  gratuity  we  made  him,  and  prayed  earnestly 
for  our  safety  and  prosperity. 

The  conduct  of  this  officer  has  been  unobtrusive,  re- 


QUIT  KHANAKI.  169 

spectfftl  and  attentive ;  three  extraordinary  qualities  in 
a  Turk.  He  has  executed  with  much  diligence  the  du- 
ties of  his  situation,  and  we  have  never  heard  that  he 
has  been  guilty  of  any  acts  of  oppression  while  with  us, 
although  the  firman  of  the  Pasha  would  have  afforded 
him  ample  opportunities,  had  he  been  so  disposed.  In 
taking  leave  of  him,  we  cannot  help  feeling  regret,  that 
as  a  janizary  he  will  be  obliged  to  recur  to  violence,  so 
necessary  for  the  support  of  his  existence,  which  is  at 
the  same  time  so  inconsistent  with  the  apparent  mildness 
of  his  character. 

April  5. — At  half  past  four  in  the  morning  we  left 
Khanaki.  In  the  preceding  marches,  we  had  been  in  the 
habit  of  going  forward  without  waiting  for  the  lading  of 
the  mules ;  but  the  chief  muleteer  so  strongly  urged  the 
necessity  of  our  keeping  close  together,  that  we  all  start- 
ed at  the  same  time  in  the  morning.  This  order  of 
march  was  so  tedious,  from  the  slow  rate  at  which  we 
journeyed,  that  we  did  not  attend  so  strictly  to  his  in- 
structions as  we  ought. 

As  the  day  broke,  we  found  ourselves  ascending  a 
range  of  hills,  similar  to  those  of  yesterday,  but  consi- 
derably improved  in  appearance.  Our  present  ascent 
was  rather  more  rugged  :  the  mountains,  instead  of  hav- 
ing their  usual  aspect  of  bleak  rock,  were  covered  with 
a  bright  verdure,  which  afforded  some  relief  to  the  wea- 
ried eye. 

This  rocky  region,  divided  into  a  variety  of  ravines, 
through  which  the  road  traverses  with  many  windings,  is 
in  every  respect  well  calculated  for  the  haunts  of  rob- 
bers ;  its  numerous  ambushed  covers  afford  so  many 
points  from  which  the  plunderers  can  mark,  unobserved, 
the  traveller's  progress,  while  the  ravines  secure  an  easy 
retreat  to  those  acquainted  with  the  intricacy  of  their 
recesses. 


170  MOUNTAIN  SCENERY. 

Soon  after  day-break,  as  Mr.  Lamb  and  I  were  aiding 
together,  some  hundred  yards  in  advance  of  our  party, 
three  men  on  horseback  came  suddenly  into  the  road 
from  among  the  rocks,  at  one  of  the  narrow  passes  of  the 
mountain,  fifty  paces  in  advance  of  us,  and  seemed  to  re- 
gard us  with  no  small  degree  of  attention.  He  who  ap- 
peared to  be  the  Chief  of  the  party,  was  mounted  on  a 
black  horse.  These  continued  to  march  a  short  distance 
before  us  for  several  miles,  frequently  slackening  their 
pace  till  we  got  near  them,  and  then  moving  on  more 
briskly. 

When  we  arrived  near  the  end  of  our  stage,  they  turned 
back,  and  allowed  us  to  pass,  giving  the  usual  traveller's 
salutation  of  u  Peace  V7  a  phrase  little  in  consonance  with 
their  hostile  intentions.  After  we  had  passed  them  some 
distance,  they  struck  into  the  mountains,  and  were  soon 
out  of  sight. 

Our  conjectures  respecting  them,  as  it  afterwards  ap- 
peared, were  not  without  foundation.  On  our  arrival  at 
Kermanshah,  a  young  Arab  chieftain  informed  us  that 
twenty  Coords  of  the  Calor  tribe  (one  of  the  most  numer- 
ous and  powerful  of  Coordistan)  had  followed  us  from 
Khanaki,  for  the  express  purpose  of  plundering  our  par- 
ty, and  of  murdering  us  if  we  made  any  resistance ;  of 
this  party,  twelve  were  on  horseback,  and  eight  on  foot, 
armed  with  matchlocks.  The  chief,  who  he  told  us 
rode  a  black  horse,  exactly  coincided,  in  description, 
with  the  person  we  had  seen.  The  Arab  said  they  had 
been  watching  night  and  day  for  a  favourable  opportuni- 
ty to  put  their  plan  in  execution  :  but  always  finding  us 
so  much  on  our  guard,  had  never  thought  fit  to  make  the 
attempt,  and  had  been  ultimately  obliged  to  abandon 
their  purpose,  on  arriving  at  the  mountain  pass  of  Pac- 
Takht,  where  a  military  force  was  stationed. 

Their  chief  inducement  to  attack  us,  was  the  intelli- 


CALOR  BANDITTI.  171 

gence  they  had  received  from  Bagdad,  that  our  party 
consisted  of  an  ambassador  and  his  suite,  travelling  with 
a  large  treasure — the  danger  we  were  led  into  by  this 
honour,  is  another  of  the  obligations  we  owe  to  Aga 
Sakeis. 

They  were  deterred  from  attempting  their  purpose, 
by  the  dread  of  the  European  officers  at  Kermanshah  re- 
venging our  deaths ;  and  their  extravagant  notions  of 
European  prowess  and  skill  in  arms ;  which  (notwith- 
standing their  numbers)  made  them  consider  the  result 
of  an  attack  too  doubtful  to  hazard,  even  for  the  abun- 
dant harvest  they  expected  to  reap. 

We  were  disposed  to  doubt  the  accuracy  of  our  infor- 
mant's intelligence,  but  he  fully  satisfied  us,  by  entering 
into  so  minute  a  detail  of  the  circumstances  of  our  march, 
from  the  time  this  party  had  waylaid  us,  that  had  we  not 
been  assured  that  he  himself  was  at  Kermanshah  during 
this  time,  we  should  have  believed  him  to  have  been 
present  with  the  party. 

Our  curiosity  being  strongly  excited  to  learn  the 
sources  of  his  intelligence,  he  at  last  told  us,  that  his  au- 
thority was  the  leader  of  the  band  himself,  his  most  inti- 
mate friend,  but  that  he  could  not  reveal  his  name,  as  a 
betrayal  of  confidence  would  cost  him  his  life. 

From  several  circumstances  that  escaped  him,  it  was 
proved  beyond  doubt,  that  his  informant  was  our  morn- 
ing visiter  on  the  black  horse.  It  appeared,  also,  that 
this  band  was  under  the  protection  of  one  of  the  princi- 
pal courtiers  of  Kermanshah,  who  shared  in  its  booty, 
and  shielded  it,  through  his  influence,  in  that  corrupt 
government. 

.  We  owe  this  information  to  a  feeling  of  gratitude  on 
the  part  of  the  young  chieftain,  for  some  important  ser- 
vices rendered  to  his  family  by  the  late  Mr.  Rich.  He 
should  not;  he  said,  have  revealed  the  circumstances  con- 


172         ANNOYANCES  OF  THE  JOURNEY. 

fided  to  him,  if  the  party  had  not  intended  to  make  ano- 
ther attempt  on  our  leaving  Kermanshah  ;  and  it  was  to 
pot  us  on  our  guard,  that  he  had  made  the  friendly  com- 
munication. It  was  near  this  place  that  Sir  Robert  Ker 
Porter  was  attacked  on  his  journey  to  Bagdad. 

The  scenery?  on  approaching  Kisra  Shereen,  is  very 
picturesque.  The  road  leads  along  the  banks  of  a 
branch  of  the  Diala,  which  runs  through  a  narrow  valley 
at  the  foot  of  a  steep  hill.  A  back  ground  of  mountains 
rises  in  gradual  succession  one  above  the  other,  the  high- 
est of  which  are  covered  with  snow,  but  the  absence  of 
wood  detracts  from  the  beauty  of  the  landscape  in  this 
country. 

We  suffered  more  in  this  march  than  in  any  of  the 
preceding.  The  heat  was  intolerable :  myriads  of  small 
gnats  hovered  around,  and  either  got  into  our  eyes,  or 
feasted  on  our  fevered  blood. 

We  turned  abruptly  round  a  projecting  point  of  the 
hill,  and  came  suddenly  in  sight  of  the  caravanserai  of 
Kisra  Shereen,  which,  from  this  distance,  had  the  ap- 
pearance of  a  strong  fortification. 

The  ground  in  the  neighbo  jrhood  of  the  caravanserai 
is  co  covered  with  stones,  that  we  had  great  difficulty  in 
finding  a  place  to  encamp  on.  We  at  length  discovered 
a  small  level  spot,  of  extent  just  sufficient  for  our  party. 
It  was  situate  on  the  banks  of  the  river,  which,  in  con- 
sequence of  the  melting  of  the  snows  in  the  mountains, 
was  swollen  to  a  considerable  size,  and,  forcing  its  way 
through  large  disjointed  masses  of  rocks,  rushed  past  us 
with  roaring  impetuosity. 

This  small  space  was  surrounded  on  three  sides  by  a 
semicircular  range  of  hills,  at  the  top  of  which  were  the 
ruins  of  the  ancient  city  of  Kisra  Shereen. 

While  pitching  our  tents,  the  master  of  the  caravan- 
serai came  attended  by  some  country  people,  aud  intreat- 


ANNOYANCES  OF  THE  JOURNEY.         173 

ed  us  not  to  encamp  outside,  as  the  greatest  danger  was 
to  be  apprehended  from  robbers,  which  he  stated  were 
very  numerous;  adding,  that  as  Franks  of  distinction,  he 
was  responsible  for  our  safety,  but  could  not  guarantee 
it,  if  we  persevered  in  our  pesent  intention. 

To  prove  his  assertion,  he  pointed  to  the  neighbour- 
ing village,  which  was  completely  deserted  on  account 
of  robbers  ;  the  few  remaining  inhabitants  being  lodged 
in  the  caravanserai. 

Being  too  much  accustomed  to  the  miserable  accomo- 
dation of  a  caravanserai,  we  rejected  his  advice  :  he 
then  offered  to  furnish  a  guard  of  twelve  men,  which  he 
told  us  would  be  absolutely  necessary  for  our  protection. 
This  we  also  refused,  saying  that  we  were  able  to  pro- 
tect ourselves,  having  found,  on  all  other  occasions,  that 
we  could  dispense  with  the  proffered  assistance. 

After  some  time  we  got  into  tolerable  order,  but  were 
all  so  harassed  with  our  march,  that,  notwithstanding 
the  beauty  of  the  scenery,  we  lost  both  our  spirits  and 
temper.  The  caterer  of  the  week  delayed  our  breakfast 
a  full  hour  beyond  the  usual  time,  and  exposed  the  milk 
and  butter  to  the  sun,  till  the  one  was  sour,  and  the 
other  rancid.  We  worked  ourselves  up  to  a  state  of 
wretched  irritability,  that  was  little  consonant  with  the 
good  humour  and  harmony  that  usually  prevailed  among 
us. 

April  15. — As  we  had  determined  to  resist  the  ex- 
pense of  an  additional  guard,  deeming  it  at  the  time  an 
imposition,  our  servants  kept  watch  last  night,  and  pas- 
sed the  time  in  sfnoking,  singing,  and  playing  the  dum- 
buck,  a  species  of  guitar.  At  intervals,  during  the 
night,  they  discharged  their  fire-arms,  to  show  the  rob- 
bers they  were  on  the  alert.  This  appeared  to  have  ef- 
fect, as  they  did  not  think  fit  to  honour  us  with  a  visit,  and 
morning  dawned  without  an  adventure  to  grace  our  tale. 

22 


174  THE  SHUUGEE,  OR  SIROC  WIND. 

For  the  last  three  days,  we  have  all  been  affected  by 
the  influence  of  the  S.  E.  wind.  Of  the  party,  I  have, 
perhaps,  been  the  greatest  sufferer.  The  effects  produced 
by  this  wind,  resemble  in  many  respects,  the  symptoms 
of  a  low  fever;  violent  head-ache,  pains  in  the  bones, 
loss  of  appetite,  nervous  irritability,  and  a  general  lassi- 
tude which  renders  any  kind  of  exertion  painful. 

Last  night,  I  retired  to  rest  with  all  these  distressing 
symptoms,  but  on  awaking  in  the  morning,  I  felt  so  res- 
tored and  my  spirits  were  so  buoyant,  that  I  needed  not 
to  be  informed  of  the  wind's  having  shifted  to  another 
quarter. 

The  S.  E.  wind  is  called  in  Arabic  and  Persian,  the 
Shurgee,  and,  by  a  natural  analogy  in  Oriental  languages, 
is  the  same  word  as  the  Siroc,  from  the  effects  of  which  I 
have  often  suffered  in  the  Mediterranean. 

The  natives  of  the  Ionian  Islands  are  so  well  acquaint- 
ed with  the  unpleasant  sensations  produced  by  the  Siroc, 
that  when  they  perceive  its  approach,  they  immediately 
shut  every  door  and  window,  and  while  it  lasts,  never  go '' 
into  the  streets  except  on  urgent  business;  while  our 
countrymen,  disdaining  to  avail  themselves  of  the  experi- 
ence of  the  natives,  and,  believing  air  to  be  necessary 
to  health,  leave  unclosed  every  aperture  that  can  admit 
the  pestilential  blast. 

At  sunrise,  we  visited  the  ruins  of  Kisra  Shereen. 
The  first  of  these  is  a  fort  situated  on  the  edge  of  a  pla- 
teau, in  a  position  to  command  the  road,  which  passes 
along  the  valley  by  two  of  its  faces.  It  is  built  of  large 
quadrangular  pieces  of  compact  lime  stone,  with  conical 
towers  placed  at  small  intervals.  The  towers  are  all 
vaulted,  and  vaulted  communications  lead  to  them  along 
the  walls.  The  E.  and  N.  sides  of  the  fort  stand  on  the 
verge  of  the  plateau.  In  the  W.  and  S.  faces,  there  is 
a  deep  ditch,  excavated  in  the  rock.     The  walls  of  the 


RUINS  OF  KiSRA  SHEREEN.  175 

fort  are  levelled  to  the  plain  of  the  interior,  as  are  also 
the  buildings,  which  can  be  distinctly  traced  on  the  out- 
side. The  walls,  which  are  from  fifteen  to  forty  feet 
high,  are  of  so  massive  a  structure,  and  composed  of  such 
durable  materials,  that  they  are  likely  to  remain  in  their 
present  condition  for  many  ages.  A  quarter  of  a  mile 
from  the  fort  are  extensive  enclosures,  surrounded  by  a 
wall  about  fifteen  feet  high,  composed  of  massive  square 
stones. 

We  passed  over  a  level  flat,  which  the  natives  call  the 
garden.  In  the  centre,  is  the  ruin  of  an  extensive 
palace  of  very  massive  structure  :  the  walls  stand  from 
about  ten  to  twenty  feet,  sufficient  to  mark  its  plan.  To 
the  north  of  the  garden,  is  an  oblong  enclosure  similar  to 
a  stadium.  We  were  shown  the  baths,  and  a  large  mass 
of  building,  with  vaulted  roofs,  called  the  bazaar  of  Kisra. 
We  went  hence  to  a  large  square  building,  the  hall  of  au- 
dience :  the  walls  are  entire  ;  but  the  roof,  which  ap- 
pears to  have  been  vaulted,  has  fallen  in.  This  building 
has  four  entrances,  facing  the  cardinal  points ;  whence 
the  sovereign  is  said  to  have  issued  his  commands  to  the 
four  quarters  of  the  globe.  These  entrances  have  arches 
of  a  parabolic  form. 

Our  guides  brought  us  to  a  hill,  on  which,  they  said, 
was  formerly  the  Nukurah  Khanah,  and  pointed  to  one 
similar  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  valley,  to  which  they 
gave  a  similar  denomination.  The  remains  of  buildings 
could  be  traced  in  these  two  places.  The  accompanying 
sketch  will  convey  an  idea  of  the  usual  appearance  of  the 
buildings. 

We  were  informed,  that  about  two  years  and  a  half 
ago  a  European  had  made  an  accurate  survey  of  all  the 
buildings,  and  had  taken  with  him  a  stone  covered  with 
inscriptions.  Who  the  European  was,  we  have  yet  to 
learn :  at  the  time,  we  thought  it  might  have  been  Sir 


176 


RUINS  OF  KISRA   SHEREKN. 


Robert  Porter,  who  visited  these  ruins  some  time  since; 
but  we  have  met  with  that  gentlemen,  who  saw  no  stone 
such  as  described  by  our  guide. 

The  city,  as  its  name  implies,  was  built  by  Kisra,  or 
Chosroes,  in  honour  of  his  beloved  Sheeren.  This  prin- 
cess is  said  to  have  been  a  Christian,  and  the  daughter  of 
the  Emperor  Maurice. 

To  have  fully  surveyed  the  mass  of  ruins  which  exist 
here,  would  have  occupied  at  least  two  days ;  but  in  this, 
as  in  other  instances,  the  desire  of  proceeding  on  our 
journey  made  us  give  less  time  to  our  examination  than 
they  deserved. 

April  16. — We  suffered  so  much  from  heat  in  our 
last  day's  march,  that  we  were  determined  for  the  future 
to  travel  by  night.  We  separated  soon  after  dusk,  to 
take  a  little  repose  preparatory  to  our  journey  ;  but,  as 
we  thought  it  possible  robbers  might  attack  us  this  even- 
ing, we  posted  our  sentinels  as  before.  Our  horses  were 
secured  by  each  foot  being  fastened  by  a  hair  rope  to  an 
iron  staple  which  was  fixed  in  the  ground.  A  similar 
mode  of  picketing  horses  is  mentioned  in  Scripture,  in 
the  account  which  the  four  lepers  give  of  their  visit  to 


TRAY  EL  BY  NIGHT.  177 

the  deserted  camp  of  the  Syrians,  that  "  there  was  no 
man  there,  but  the  horses  tied,  and  asses  tied,  and  the 
tents  as  they  were."*  Gibbon  relates,  that  the  success 
of  Galerius,  a  Roman  General,  in  the  reign  of  Diocletian, 
was  to  be  attributed  to  his  having  attacked  the  Persians 
in  the  night,  who  were  consequently  unable  to  resist 
him,  from  the  difficulty  they  had  in  unshackling  their 
horses,  f 

For  the  better  securing  our  baggage,  we  placed  it 
within  a  small  space  in  the  centre  of  our  little  camp. 
Having  made  fast  the  doors  of  the  tents,  we  were  about 
to  sleep,  wrhen  we  heard  a  shot  fired,  which  was  quickly 
followed  by  two  others.  On  inquiry,  we  found  the  rob- 
bers had  descended  the  hill,  and  had  commenced  un- 
loosing the  cords  by  which  our  horses'  feet  were  fasten- 
ed to  the  ground ;  but,  being  fired  upon,  had  fled. 
Shortly  after,  another  set  of  men  (for  the  same  could 
scarcely  have  got  round  in  the  time)  came  to  the  oppo- 
site side,  made  a  similar  attempt,  and  met  with  a  similar 
reception.  This  seemed  to  satisfy  them,  for  we  saw  no 
more  of  them  :  though,  as  we  afterwards  heard,  they 
formed  a  part  of  the  Calor  banditti. 

After  these  interruptions,  we  again  laid  ourselves 
down  to  rest,  when  an  incident  occurred,  which  was  near- 
ly proving  of  a  tragical  nature,  and  will  serve  to  show 
the  state  of  watchfulness  in  which  we  were. 

It  had  been  our  custom  every  night,  previous  to  sleep- 
ing, to  examine  our  arms,  and  then  to  place  our  swords 
beside  us,  and  our  pistols  under  our  pillows. 

I  had  been  asleep  about  half  an  hour,  when  I  was 
awoke  by  a  rustling  in  the  tent :  upon  looking  to  the 
place  whence  the  noise  proceeded,  I  could  distinctly  per- 
ceive the  figure  of  a  man  forcing  himself  through  one  of 

*  2  Kings,  vii.  10.  t  Gibbon,  vol.  2.  chap.  xii.  p.  146. 


178  DANGEROUS  ADVENTURE. 

the  divisions.  With  my  mind  fully  occupied  on  the  late 
attack,  I  immediately  cocked  my  pistols ;  and,  with  the 
muzzle  presented  to  the  dark  figure  which  appeared  to 
be  creeping  along,  I  begged  that  Mr.  Hamilton,  to  pre- 
vent accidents,  would  come  close  to  me  before  I  fired. 
By  great  good  fortune  he  called  out,  and  I  discovered 
that  he  was  the  supposed  robber,  who,  having  gone  to 
speak  to  Mr.  Lamb,  had  been  unable  to  open  the  door 
on  his  return,  and  had  forced  his  way  in  the  manner  de- 
scribed. 


MARCH  BY  MOONLIGHT.  179 


CHAPTER  XIV. 

March  by  Moonlight — Our  Chief  Muleteer — Pool  Zohaub — Stu- 
pendous Scenery — Curious  Custom  of  Illyaut  Women — Ancient 
Sculpture— Ascent  of  the  Zagri  Pilae— Magnificent  Scenery — 
Pa-ee  Takht— Suridage — Vexatious  delay  of  the  Muleteer — 
Town  of  Kurund — Visit  from  the  Governor. 

We  commenced  our  march  this  evening  as  the  moon 
was  majestically  rising  from  behind  the  mountains.  The 
night  was  delightfully  cool,  and  we  all  felt  the  difference 
between  our  present  situation  and  when  suffering  from 
the  heat  of  a  burning  sun,  augmented  by  the  reflection 
from  the  surrounding  rocks  :  nor  do  I  think  we  were 
losers  by  the  change,  even  on  the  score  of  scenery. 
Daylight  is  necessary  to  develope  the  beauties  of  a  land- 
scape, marked  by  a  variety  of  tints  ;  but  in  such  as  we 
here  passed,  the  uniform  colour  of  the  hills,  and  the 
want  of  wood,  soon  palled  on  the  eye.  On  the  other 
hand,  the  bright  beams  of  an  Eastern  moon  striking  upon 
the  projecting  points  of  the  mountains,  and  presenting  to 
our  view  their  tops  silvered  by  the  snow,  while  the  re- 
cesses were  thrown  into  the  deepest  shade,  left  fancy  to 
raise  up  images  which  reality  could  not  identifv. 

We  had  frequent  occasion  to  admire  the  activitv  and 
skilful  arrangement  of  our  intelligent  muleteer.  Mount- 
ed on  a  small  high-bred  Arab,  he  galloped  over  the  most 
broken  ground  with  the  same  fearless  security,  as  if  he 
were  scouring  his  native  plains,  constantly  passing  from 
front  to  rear,  admonishing  the  indolent  and  encouraging 
the  active,  himself  setting  an  example  which  seemed  to 


180  POOL  ZOHAUC. 

inspire  the  others  with  emulation.  When  we  approach- 
ed any  narrow  pass  where  robbers  were  accustomed  to 
take  post,  he  galloped  on  several  hundred  yards  to 
reconnoitre  ;  thus  forming  an  advance  picket  to  afford  us 
time  to  put  ourselves  on  our  guard. 

Indefatigable  as  was  his  attention  to  the  duties  of  his 
situation,  he  was  equally  mindful  to  those  of  his  religion. 
Daily  as  the  sun  was  about  to  rise,  he  would  gallop  for- 
ward with  the  rapidity  of  an  arrow,  throw  himself  from 
his  horse,  which  grazed  unrestrained  by  his  side,  and 
falling  on  his  knees  would  finish  his  devotion  about  the 
time  we  came  up. 

ApriL  17. — The  weather  continued  temperate  till  a 
short  time  before  dawn,  when  we  came  to  a  low  swampy 
plain,  and  felt  a  chilly  rawness  in  the  air  that  was  very 
unpleasant. 

We  reached  Pool  Zohaub,  or  Serpool,  at  sunrise, 
crossed  the  river  over  a  well-built  bridge,  and  pitched 
our  tents  on  a  rich  plain,  about  half  a  mile  to  the  south- 
east of  the  village,  near  an  immense  wall  of  limestone, 
which  divides  this  from  another  fertile  valley,  about  two 
miles  wide,  extending  to  the  bottom  of  the  higher  range 
of  the  Hamerine  Mountains. 

Viewed  from  a  distance  in  the  dim  twilight  of  morning, 
this  singular  rocky  mass  had  the  appearance  of  being  the 
wall  of  a  large  caravanserai ;  although  it  was  upwards  of 
six  hundred  feet  high,  so  small  did  it  appear  in  compari- 
son with  the  rest  of  the  mountain  range  behind  it.  To 
the  west  it  rises  almost  perpendicular  from  the  plain, 
presenting  a  vast  wall  of  rugged  rock  of  astonishing  mag- 
nitude. The  eastern  side  rises  in  a  steep  slope  to  about 
a  hundred  yards  from  the  summit,  when  it  shoots  up 
in  rugged  perpendicular  masses,  pointed  at  the  top, 
giving  theaform  of  a  wedge  flattened  at  one  side. 

As  we  were  still  shivering  with  the  cold,  we  were  not 


CURIOUS  CUSTOM  OF  ILLYAUTS.  181 

sorry  to  crowd  round  a  large  fire  which  some  neighbour- 
ing Illyauts  had  assisted  us  in  making.  Mr.  Lamb, 
who  had  strolled  from  our  party  to  view  the  country, 
now  returned,  much  pleased  with  the  magnificence  of  the 
prospect.  In  ascending  the  mountain,  he  saw  in  a  ra- 
vine near  the  top,  some  sheep's  wool  and  some  bones, 
and  smelt  a  strong  odour  so  like  to  that  of  a  lion,  that  it 
accelerated  his  return,  hearing  that  lions  were  often  seen 
in  this  neighbourhood. 

He  passed  in  the  plain  a  small  horde  of  miserable-look- 
ing Illyauts,  and  was  surrounded  by  the  females  of  the 
party,  who  importuned  him  for  alms  till  they  had  com- 
pletely emptied  his  pockets;  some  of  them  seized  him  by 
the  arm,  others  kissed  his  sleeve,  and  others,  in  soliciting 
charity,  opened  their  robes  in  front,  and  exposed  their 
bosoms  and  nearly  the  whole  of  their  persons  to  view. 
This  was  practised  by  young  and  old,  and  might  be  in- 
tended to  excite  his  commiseration  by  an  appeal  to  their 
wretched  condition.  Such  a  freedom  is  always  remarka- 
ble, when  compared  with  the  distance  and  fastidious  re- 
serve of  Oriental  females  in  general.  Mr.  Lamb  says 
they  were  mostly  good-looking  and  all  of  them  had  very 
beautiful  teeth. 

While  he  was  thus  employed  in  resisting  the  importu- 
nities of  the  fair  beggars,  I  was  besieged  by  a  merry  old 
Illyaut  woman,  who  brought  us  bread,  eggs,  and  milk, 
for  breakfast.  She  was  not  the  least  abashed  by  the 
strange  appearance  we  must  have  presented,  but  seemed 
determined  to  indulge  her  curiosity  to  the  utmost ;  and 
examining  us  from  head  to  foot,  asked  me  numerous 
questions  respecting  different  parts  of  my  dress.  She 
drew  my  sword,  which  was  a  staif  regulation,  and  calling 
it  a  mauli  cubaub,  literally,  «  a  roasting  skewer,"  burst 
out  a  laughing,  not  a  little  delighted  with  her  own  wit. 

23 


182  VILLAGE  OF  SERPOOL. 

She  then  proceeded  to  rummage  my  pockets,  and  was 
not  satisfied  till  she  had  ascertained  their  separate  uses. 

The  village  of  Serpool  stands  in  a  very  picturesque 
situation,  at  the  bottom  of  the  N.  extremity  of  the  mas- 
sy wall,  with  the  stream  of  the  Hulwan  running  in  front. 
The  caravanserai  is  a  handsome  building,  with  a  small 
cupola,  and  the  remains  of  an  old  serai  stand  at  a  little 
distance.  This  place  is  one  of  the  most  pleasing  we  have 
yet  seen. 

In  the  afternoon,  as  we  were  proceeding  to  examine 
some  ancient  sculptures,  to  which  the  natives  attach 
much  importance,  we  were  overtaken  by  a  number  of 
Coords  who  seemed  to  be  returning  from  work.  We 
were  rather  surprised  at  the  time,  to  observe  many  of 
these  men  salute  us  in  the  military  mode  by  putting  their 
hands  to  their  caps.  We  afterwards  heard,  that  the 
troops  of  the  Prince  of  Kermansha  had  been  drilled  to 
the  European  system  by  some  French  officers  in  the 
service  of  His  Highness.  The  short  but  bloody  war  be- 
tween the  late  Prince  and  the  Pasha  of  Bagdad  having 
ceased  with  the  death  of  the  former,  the  greater  portion 
of  these  troops  had  been  allowed  to  return  to  their 
homes,  till  their  services  should  be  again  required.  The 
Coords  we  saw,  formed  a  part  of  that  army  which  two 
years  before,  had  caused  the  complete  desolation  which 
we  witnessed  on  our  march. 

One  of  this  party  a  stout,  fearless-looking  ruffian, 
mounted  on  an  ass,  rode  up  to  me,  and  asked  me  if  I  had 
ever  met  Davoud  Pasha  ?  Upon  my  replying  in  the  af- 
firmative, he  said,  with  a  kind  of  savage  glee,  while  his 
wild  eye  sparkled  with  triumph  as  he  spoke :  "  When 
next  you  go  to  Davoud,  tell  him  you  hare  seen  one 
who  gave  his  baratollis  (troops)  a  tremendous  beating." 
This  boast  appeared  to  be  peculiarly  gratifying  to  his  com- 


ANCIENT  SCULPTURE.  183 

panions,  who  acknowledged  its  point  by  a  loud  roar  of  ap- 
plause. 

The  sculptures  are  on  the  western  face,  on  the  lime- 
stone ridge,  situated  near  a  large  gap,  about  three  miles 
to  the  S.  E.  of  our  tents.  We  found  the  figure  of  a  man, 
sculptured  in  low  relief,  dressed  in  a  long  robe,  and  holding 
in  his  hand  what  had  the  appearance  of  a  club.  This 
figure  is  about  twenty  feet  from  the  bottom  of  the  rock : 
the  tradition  of  the  country  calls  it  a  figure  of  David,  and 
a  small  square  chamber  excavated  at  a  considerible  height 
above  it,  is  shown  as  the  place  whence  David  saw  Bath- 
sheba,  who  lived  in  a  neighbouring  village,  to  the  ruins 
of  which  they  pointed.  The  chamber  is  called  Dekani 
Davoud  (the  shop  of  David,)  and  the  place  is  held  in 
much  respect  by  the  natives,  who  make  pilgrimages  to  it. 
We  found  a  number  of  stones,  having  pieces  of  rag  at- 
tached to  them,  and  many  little  heaps  of  stones  in  the 
neighbourhood,  both  of  which  are  common  at  the  shrines 
of  eastern  saints. 

April  18. — We  proceeded  on  our  journey  an  hour 
after  midnight.  We  passed  through  the  stupendous  mass 
of  limestone  that  had  so  excited  our  admiration  the  pre- 
ceding day,  and  which  lost  none  of  its  grandeur  from 
the  distinct  outline  given  by  the  moon,  which  was  now 
shining  in  all  her  splendour.  Having  entered  this  chasm 
in  the  rock,  we  found  ourselves  in  the  beautiful  valley  in 
which  we  had  seen  myriads  of  cattle  a  few  hours  before ; 
but  these  had  all  departed,  and  nothing  animate  could  be 
seen  or  heard  to  break  in  upon  the  dead  silence  and  still- 
ness of  night.  Upon  entering  the  valley,  we  turned  ab- 
ruptly to  the  right,  and  continued  our  course  along  the 
base  of  the  mountain.  Numerous  rills  issued  from  it, 
and  in  their  union  formed  a  rapid  stream,  that  traversed 
the  valley  to  its  whole  extent.  As  we  proceeded,  the 
principal  source  of  this  water  could  be  traced  in  the 


184  ASCENT  OF  THE  ZAGRI  fYLJE. 

mountain,  descending  from  a  considerable  height,  to 
which  the  reflection  of  the  moon  gave  the  appearance  of 
quick-silver,  as  it  pursued  its  surpentine  course  along  the 
valley. 

At  dawn  we  reached  the  bottom  of  the  pass,  leading 
over  the  loftiest  range.  The  scenery  at  this  place  is 
inexpressibly  grand ;  stupendous  mountains  rising  with 
almost  perpendicular  abruptness,  encompass  a  small  val- 
ley, and  form  a  basin,  the  sides  of  which  are  two  thou- 
sand feet  high,  and  broken  into  the  wildest  possible 
forms.  We  entered  the  gorge  of  this  valley  a  little  be- 
fore dawn,  and  found  it  illumined  with  the  fires  of  large 
parties  of  travellers  in  the  bustle  of  preparation  to  com- 
mence the  ascent  by  the  first  break  of  day  :  they  were 
chiefly  Illyauts  marching  with  their  families  and  flocksr 
By  the  time  we  reached  the  bottom  of  the  pass,  we  were 
surrounded  by  numerous  flocks  of  sheep  and  cattle ;  the 
latter  were  laden  with  the  mat  tents  and  other  property 
of  the  wanderers.  The  ascent,  which  is  two  miles  in 
length,  occupies  somewhat  more  than  two  hours,  it  is 
mostly  very  steep,  and  covered  with  loose  stones,  which 
greatly  add  to  the  difficulty  and  the  danger  of  the  ascent. 
The  parapet  wall  appears  to  have  been  built  when  the 
road  was  originally  constructed,  and  has  been  broken 
down  in  many  places  by  the  fall  of  masses  of  rock  from 
above.  As  the  present  system  of  the  government  is  not 
to  expend  money  in  works  of  public  utility,  the  road  is 
in  many  places  nearly  impassible.  We  had  to  scramble 
over  and  between  large  fragments  of  rock,  and  we  could 
not  but  admire  the  sagacity  with  which  our  horses  suc- 
ceeded in  getting  over  obstacles  which  to  us  appeared  in- 
surmountable. Our  situation  was  not  free  from  danger, 
for  in  ascending  we  met  a  large  caravan,  which  we  had 
much  difficulty  in  passing,  and  were  several  times  nearly 
thrown  down  the  precipice  by  the  rear  mules,  which,  la- 


ASCENT  OF  THE  ZAGRI  FYLJE.  185 

den  with  bulky  articles  of  baggage,  and  unrestrained  by 
driver  or  bridle,  rushed  impetuously  past  us  to  join  those 
in  advance. 

Half  way  up  the  pass  a  military  party  was  stationed, 
consisting  of  an  officer  and  ten  men,  in  the  service  of  the 
Prince  of  Kermanshah.  One  could  not  but  admire  the 
judicious  situation  that  had  been  selected  at  a  period, 
perhaps,  when  the  art  of  war  was  better  understood  in 
this  country  than  it  is  at  present ;  for  here  a  handful  of 
men  might  with  ease  dispute  the  passage  of  a  large  op- 
posing army.  The  guard  occupied  a  small  square  build- 
ing, with  an  arched  front  of  Grecian  architecture,  evi- 
dently of  considerable  antiquity.  It  is  called  Pa-ee 
Takht,  (foot  of  the  throne,  which  name  is  also  given  to 
the  pass)  and  has  probably  been  built  originally  for  the 
purpose  to  which  it  is  now  appropriated.  The  natives 
of  the  country  attribute  it  to  their  favourite  Khosro, 
who,  they  tell  us,  constructed  it  as  a  place  of  repose 
after  the  fatigues  of  the  chase.  The  guard  claimed  a 
present,  which  we  gave  on  being  informed  by  the  mule- 
teer that  it  was  customary.  We  should  have  given  it  the 
more  willingly,  had  we  known  at  the  time  our  obligations 
to  them;  for  it  was  to  the  circumstance  of  their  being 
stationed  he,re,  that  the  Calor  banditti  had  for  a  while 
abandoned  their  hostile  intentions  towards  us. 

We  at  length  arrived  at  the  top  of  this  stupendous 
pass,  and  paused  for  a  few  moments  to  rest  ourselves  and 
cattle,  and  to  enjoy  the  view  which,  combining  so  many 
magnificent  objects,  amply  compensated  for  the  labour  of 
the  ascent.  From  this  height  we  felt  an  involuntary 
shudder  in  gazing  at  the  yawning  abyss  beneath.  The 
valley  is  covered  with  dwarf  oaks,  about  twenty  feet 
high,  which,  compared  with  the  surrounding  scenery, 
looked  like  underwood.  The  road,  formed  on  the  brink 
of  the  precipice,  was  still  occupied  by  crowds  of  travel- 


186  SURIDAGE. 

lers,  who,  contrasted  with  the  lofty  scenery  around  them, 
resembled  Lilliputians  creeping  along  the  narrow  ridge 
at  the  imminent  danger  of  their  lives. 

We  descended  a  little  after  reaching  the  top  of  the 
pass.  At  the  distance  of  two  miles  we  reached  the  car- 
avanserai of  Suridage,  adjoining  a  small  Coordish  village, 
whence  we  procured  every  necessary  supply. 

Immediately  on  our  arrival,  a  farrier  came  to  offer  his 
services,  which  were  much  wanted,  as  our  horses  had 
suffered  considerably  since  our  arrival  in  the  mountains, 
and  particularly  from  this  day's  march.  Indeed,  there 
could  scarcely  have  been  a  place  better  chosen  than  this 
for  one  of  his  calling. 

We  encamped  close  to  the  serai,  in  a  small  basin  form- 
ed by  precipitous  mountains,  rising  from  a  thousand  to 
fifteen  hundred  feet  on  all  sides.  The  ruins  of  a  small 
square  fort,  with  four  bastions,  occupy  a  little  mound  in 
the  centre  of  the  basin ;  the  tradition  of  which  is,  that 
it  was  built  by  the  Guebres. 

The  caravanserai  was  built  by  the  late  Mohummud  AH 
Meerza,  at  an  expense  of  three  thousand  tomauns.  The 
whole  of  this  range  of  mountains  consists  of  limestone. 
We  were  strongly  recommended  by  the  muleteer  to  go  to 
Kurund,  the  next  stage,  but  we  rejected  his  advice,  hav- 
ing no  inclination  for  a  hot  ride  in  the  sun ;  and  we  soon 
found  that  his  reason  for  wishing  us  to  proceed,  was  his 
being  obliged  to  purchase  forage  for  his  mules,  from  the 
dearth  of  pasture — every  spot  admitting  of  cultivation 
having  been  appropriated  to  tillage. 

After  breakfast,  Mr.  Hart  went  some  distance  to  take 
a  sketch  of  the  pass.  While  he  was  thus  employed,  two 
of  the  guard  accosted  him,  and  told  him  that  they  had  re- 
ceived orders  to  allow  no  traveller  to  wander  alone  in  the 
mountains,  on  account  of  the  numerous  banditti  that  in- 
fest this  neighbourhood :  he  was  therefore  obliged  to  put 


DELAY  OF  THE  MULETEER.  187 

up  his  drawings,  and  the  guard  gave  him  safe  conduct  to 
the  tents. 

April  1 9. — The  moon  rose  at  two  in  the  morning,  and 
in  a  short  time,  our  party  was  ready  to  start ;  but  our 
muleteer  was  so  long  in  loading,  that  we  did  not  leave 
our  ground  till  near  four.  The  delay  was  occasioned  by 
a  Persian  family,  who,  availing  themselves  of  the  protec- 
tion of  our  escort,  had  travelled  with  us  from  Bagdad. 
The  party  consisted  of  a  man  and  three  females,  the  eld- 
est twelve  years  old,  and  the  youngest  seven ;  the  girls 
were  carried  in  a  pair  of  covered  paniers,  slung  across 
a  mule,  the  two  youngest  rode  together.  The  morning 
was  raw  and  cold,  and  we  suffered  much  from  the  incon- 
venience, as  the  Persian  party  did  not  prepare  for  the 
march  till  we  were  ready  to  set  out,  and  all  the  mules 
having  to  travel  together,  we  were  compelled  to  wait  for 
them.  By  threatning  the  muleteer  to  withhold  a  pre- 
sent, we  hoped  to  make  him  more  alert  for  the  future. 

The  road  led  through  a  narrow  richly  wooded  valley, 
between  two  ranges  of  lofty  mountains,  rising  abruptly, 
and  terminating  in  rugged  precipitous  summits;  our 
course  was,  as  usual,  south-east,  the  general  direction  of 
this  vast  range  of  mountains.  We  continued  ascending 
over  a  very  stony  rugged  road  till  day- break,  when  we 
reached  an  open  level  valley,  running  along  the  foot  of  a 
mountain,  called  by  the  natives,  Mooshaun.  It  is  still 
covered  with  snow  on  the  north  side,  to  a  considerable 
distance  from  the  summit. 

The  stream  which  waters  the  valley,  takes  its  rise  at 
the  top  of  this  pass,  which  is  called  Surmy.  The  ruins 
of  a  small  fort,  like  that  at  the  last  stage,  stand  at  the  top 
of  the  pass,  which  it  effectually  commands ;  this,  the  na- 
tives call,  Mauli  Giaour,  the  "  Property  of  the  Infidel :" 
a  Mahometan  mode  of  assigning  a  date  to  any  building 
prior  to  the  birth  of  their  prophet. 


188  VILLAGE  OF  KURUND. 

Two  hours  from  the  top  of  this  pass,  along  a  fine  level 
road,  brought  us  to  the  village  of  Kurund,  where  we  en- 
camped. We  passed  several  small  villages  of  low,  flat- 
roofed  houses,  built  on  the  northern  side  of  the  valley, 
at  the  bottom  of  the  mountains  which  shelter  them  from 
the  north  wind. 

The  entrance  into  this  valley  presented  a  more  cheer- 
ful appearance  than  any  place  we  had  yet  seen.  Here- 
tofore our  road  had  lain  through  an  almost  uncultivated 
waste,  though  capable  of  tillage,  as  might  be  observed  by 
the  partial  spaces  covered  with  corn,  surrounding  the  black 
tents  of  the  Illyauts.  This  place  was,  for  the  most  part, 
highly  cultivated,  and  the  present  scene,  as  compared 
with  the  past,  marked  the  difference  between  the  pasto- 
al  and  agricultural  state. 

Kurund  has  a  southern  exposure.  It  is  built  on  the 
ascent  of  the  mountain  on  the  north  side  of  the  valley, 
with  a  ravine  behind  it,  whence  issues  a  fine  stream  of  wa- 
ter, which  runs  through  the  centre  of  the  town.  It  is 
surrounded  with  extensive  orchards  and  vineyards,  that 
produce  the  finest  grapes  in  the  whole  of  the  Persian  do- 
minions. The  gardens  are  kept  in  the  neatest  order,  and 
every  thing  indicates  an  advanced  state  of  agriculture. 
It  was  the  season  for  dressing  the  vines,  which  they  cut 
close,  and  dispose  in  deep  trenches.  Our  tents  were 
pitched  in  a  field,  half  a  mile  from  the  town.  Immedi- 
ately on  our  arrival,  several  men  who  were  at  work  in  an 
adjoining  field,  came  up  to  us,  and  entered  into  conver- 
sation with  us  in  the  most  unceremonious  manner,  exam- 
ining our  dress  and  arms,  and  asking  us  numerous  ques- 
tions :  a  crowd  surrounded  our  tents  the  whole  of  the 
day. 

Just  as  we  were  sitting  down  to  dinner,  the  Governor 
of  the  town  paid  us  a  visit.  He  was  accompanied  by  his 
brother  artd  attended  by  a  numerous  suite.    He  apologi- 


VISIT  FROM  THE  GOVERNOR.  189 

zed  for  not  coming  before,  having,  he  said,  been  hunting 
in  the  mountains,  but  that  immediately  on  seeing  our 
tents,  he  had  hastened  to  welcome  us  to  Kurund  ;  he  said 
that  if  he  had  sooner  known  of  our  arrival,  he  would 
have  sent  us  some  game,  which  is  in  great  abundance  in 
the  hills.  After  these  civilities,  he  asked  us  if  we  ever 
tasted  spirits.  Taking  the  hint,  we  told  him  that  we  sel- 
dom drank  any  ourselves,  but  had  some  at  the  disposal 
of  our  friends.  While  our  servants  were  bringing  in  the 
spirits,  the  Governor's  brother,  who  seemed  to  wish  to 
prepare  us  for  what  was  to  follow,  said  by  way  of  pre- 
face, "  When  a  Mahometan  drinks  at  all,  it  is  not  with 
moderation,  as  Europeans  but  to  a  great  excess ;"  an  as- 
sertion we  had  not  long  reason  to  doubt.  We  filled  a 
large  breakfast  cup  with  spirits,  for  the  Governor,  who 
hastily  finished  the  draught,  and  held  out  the  cup  to  be 
replenished ;  this  he  emptied  in  as  short  a  time  as  the 
first,  and  again  asked  for  another,  but  his  brother  pru- 
dently tried  to  dissuade  him  from  another  cup,  remind- 
ing him  that  it  was  against  the  law.  "  It  is  true,"  re- 
plied the  Governor,  "  that  spirits  are  forbidden  by  our 
law,  but  the  Franks  drink,  and  I  like  to  follow  such  good 
examples."  upon  which  he  quaffed  off  his  third  bumper, 
to  prove  his  admiration  of  European  customs.  His  bro- 
ther, who  was  aware  of  his  failing,  now  nodded  to  him 
to  depart,  a  hint  he  obeyed  with  some  difficulty,  from 
the  effect  of  these  quickly  repeated  potations.  He  was 
at  last  hoisted  into  the  saddle,  and  had  just  power  of 
speech  left,  to  stutter  his  thanks  for  the  liquor  he  had 
already  drunk,  and  for  two  bottles  of  whiskey,  which  we 
gave  to  his  servants  for  him. 

The  success  which  the  Governor  met  with  in  his  visit, 
brought  numbers  of  his  family  to  us,  with  similar  eulo- 
giums  on  the  excellence  of  English  liquor ;  but  as  we  had 
no  intention  of  converting  our  tents  into  a  drinking- booth, 

24 


190         THE  GOVERNOR  INTOXICATED. 

our  visiters  went  away,   disappointed  to  find  they  had 
reckoned  without  their  host. 

In  the  evening,  we  strolled  out  to  look  at  the  town,  and 
went  to  a  neighbouring  burying-ground,  situate  on  an 
eminence,  to  enjoy  a  finer  view.  Here  we  observed  a 
crowd  assembled  round  a  tomb.  Thinking  there  might 
be  a  funeral,  we  went  a  little  nearer,  and  saw,  not  a  dead 
body,  but  one  in  a  state  of  almost  suspended  animation, 
that  of  no  less  a  personage  than  our  new  acquaintance, 
the  Governor,  who,  stretched  out  at  his  length,  with  his 
head  reposing  on  a  tombstone,  and  surrounded  by  his  at- 
tendants, was  lying  totally  insensible,  from  the  potent  ef- 
fects of  our  whisky. 


BEAUTIFUL  SCENERY.  191 


CHAPTER  XV. 


An  Illjaut  Breakfast — Beautiful  Female — One  of  the  King's 
Wives — Town  of  Harounabad — Beauty  of  the  Women — Ma- 
hidesht — Escorted  into  Kermanshah — Description  of  the  Town 
— An  Order  of  Knighthood — Character  of  Mohumud  Ali  Meer- 
za,  the  late  Prince  of  Kermanshah. — Anecdote  of  His  High- 
ness and  Gaspar  Khan — Visit  from  the  Prince  of  Kerman- 
shah. 


April  20. — Our  scolding  yesterday  had  due  effect  with 
the  muleteer,  and  we  got  away  very  expeditiously.  We 
commenced  our  march  at  the  rising  of  the  moon,  by 
which  our  movements  were  regulated.  The  road  was  in 
general  good,  though  in  some  parts  exceedingly  stony. 
We  continued  ascending  till  day-break,  when  we  reach- 
ed a  small  plain. 

As  the  sun  rose,  it  reflected  its  rays  on  a  scene  as 
beautiful  as  it  was  varied.  On  one  side  was  a  succession 
of  thickly-wooded  hills,  exhibiting  an  almost  endless  va- 
riety of  foliage ;  on  the  other  an  extensive  plain,  at  the 
base  of  rude  and  craggy  mountains,  covered  with  the 
brightest  verdure,  the  uniformity  of  which  was  relieved 
by  the  numerous  black  encampments  of  the  Coordish 
wanderers,  and  by  the  occasional  patches  of  cultivation 
observable  in  the  immediate  neighbourhood  of  their  tents. 


192  CIVILITY  OF  THE  PERSIANS. 

The  lofty  Elwund,  raising  its  snowy  head,  seemed  to 
peer  in  towering  majesty  over  the  surrounding  landscape, 
and  formed  a  beautiful  back-ground  to  the  scene  ;  while 
a  numerous  caravan,  tracing  its  way  through  the  mazy 
windings  of  the  road,  added  not  a  little  to  the  living  part 
of  the  picture. 

The  chief  person  of  the  caravan  was  adjusting  his 
dress  by  a  small  looking-glass,  and  rode  up  to  us  with  it 
in  his  hand.  After  the  usual  salutations,  he  inquired 
whence  we  came  and  what  were  our  names,  which  he 
noted  down  in  a  memorandum-book.  The  caravan  con- 
sisted of  a  number  of  families,  apparently  of  good  condi- 
tion. Among  them  were  some  females,  all  closely  veiled, 
riding  in  couples  in  covered  baskets,  with  the  exception 
of  some  few  who  rode  astride  on  mules. 

Since  entering  the  Persian  dominions  we  have  been 
much  struck  with  the  marked  civility  of  all  ranks  of  peo- 
ple, who  have  always  saluted  us  in  passing.  We  passed 
numerous  Illyaut  encampments,  scattered  over  the  valley 
in  every  direction. 

On  this  march  we  observed  a  number  of  carcase-shells, 
and  broken  gun-carriages,  &c. 

Pursuing  our  journey,  we  were  addressed  by  some 
Illyauts,  who,  pointing  to  their  tents,  situate  at  some  lit- 
tle distance,  in  the  ascent  of  the  mountains,  invited  us  to 
breakfast  with  them.  Messrs.  Lamb  and  Hart,  being 
much  oppressed  by  the  heat,  declined  the  invitation ;  but 
Mr.  Hamilton  and  myself,  relying  on  their  proverbial 
reverence  for  the  rites  of  hospitality,  went  with  them  to 
their  tents,  taking  with  us  only  two  servants. 

The  tents  of  these  Coords  were  ranged  in  one  long 
street,  and  disposed  as  booths  at  a  fair  :  there  appeared  to 
be  abundance  of  cattle,  but  arranged  in  no  kind  of  order; 
horses,  cows,  and  sheep,  being  indiscriminately  mixed 


ILLYAUT  BREAKFAST.  193 

with  men,  woman,  and  children.  We  were  shown  into  a 
spacious  tent.  A  carpet  was  spread  for  us,  on  a  raised 
platform  about  three  feet  high,  where,  after  taking  off 
our  capacious  red  travelling- boots,  we  were  desired  to 
seat  ourselves  in  the  manner  most  convenient.  A  break- 
fast of  warm  milk,  eggs,  and  bread,  was  placed  before  us; 
and  the  whole  camp  turned  out  to  see  the  Ferunghees  at 
their  meal,  which,  to  amuse  them,  we  ate  in  the  English 
fashion. 

Delighted  as  all  round  us  appeared  to  be  with  the  nov- 
elty of  our  costume,  we  were  not  less  gratified  than  they 
in  beholding  the  varied  group  of  heads,  forming  an  am- 
phitheatre in  front  of  us ;  the  children  standing  in  the 
foreground,  behind  them  the  woman,  and,  towering  over 
all,  the  bearded  faces  of  the  men,  exhibiting  a  collection 
of  countenances  lighted  up  with  a  variety  ot  expression, 
in  which  curiosity  was  predominant. 

Our  hosts  talked  much  of  the  excellent  sporting  the 
mountains  afforded.  I  asked  them  if  they  busied  them- 
selves much  in  cultivating  the  land  ;  to  which  they  re- 
plied, that  they  only  tilled  just  sufficient  for  their  own 
immediate  wants.  Mr.  Hamilton's  servant,  Mohumud 
Ali,  who  never  lost  an  opportunity  of  becoming  the 
spokesman,  finished  the  sentence  by  saying,  M  What  do 
they  care  for  cultivation,  when  their  principal  trade  is 
robbery  V9  a  remark  to  which  the  Coords  smilingly  nod- 
ded assent. 

Our  attention  to  the  general  group  was  suddenly  arrest- 
ed by  the  appearance  of  a  young  female,  about  seventeen 
years  of  age,  whom  we  thought  the  most  beautiful  woman 
we  had  ever  seen.  She  was  leaning  against  the  pole  of 
the  tent,  with  her  head  supported  by  her  left  arm,  and 
was  gazing  at  us  with  the  most  fixed  attention  :  her  jet 
black  hair  flowed  about  her  in  unconfined  luxuriance ; 


194  HAROUNABAD. 

the  brilliancy  of  her  eyes,  heightened  by  the  dark  stain 
of  the  surmeh,  seemed  riveted  with  a  curiosity  not  the 
less  gratifying  to  us  from  knowing  that  we  excited  it ;  her 
half-closed  mouth  displayed  teeth  of  the  most  regular 
form  and  perfect  whiteness.  Her  person,  almost  entirely 
exposed  by  the  opening  of  her  loose  shirt,  (the  only  cov- 
ering she  wore,)  displayed  a  form  of  the  most  perfect 
symmetry  ;  no  sculptor  could  do  justice  to  such  a  model. 

We  reached  Harounabad  in  half  an  hour's  ride  cros- 
sed a  small  bridge,  and  found  our  tents  ready  pitched  on 
the  opposite  side,  near  the  bank  of  a  rapid  stream. 

We  were  advised  most  strongly  by  the  inhabitants  of 
the  town  to  lodge  in  the  caravanserai,  on  account  of  the 
numerous  hordes  of  Ulyauts,  who,  they  said,  would  be 
likely  to  attack  us  in  the  night.  As  we  were  more  in 
dread  of  vermin  than  of  robbers,  we  said  that  we  prefer- 
red remaining  where  we  were,  as  we  were  well  able  to 
protect  ourselves — a  boast  we  thought  it  necessary  fre- 
quently to  repeat,  thinking  our  safety  depended  consid- 
erably on  confirming  these  banditti  in  the  high  notions  we 
knew  they  entertained  of  European  prowess. 

In  the  course  of  the  morning,  one  of  the  khanums, 
wives  of  the  King  of  Persia,  encamped  close  to  us  :  she 
had  just  arrived  from  Tabriz,  the  court  of  Abbas  Meer- 
za,  the  Prince  Royal  of  Persia,  and  was  proceeding  to 
Kerbela  on  a  pilgrimage.  She  had  only  three  small  tents; 
her  establishment,  though  inferior  to  ours,  was  sufficient- 
ly large  for  one  of  fifteen  hundred  partakers  of  the  royal 
bed.  As  the  lady  belonged  to  the  court  of  the  Prince 
Royal  of  Persia,  who  has  always  been  very  attentive  to 
our  countrymen,  we  sent  to  inform  her  that  we  were 
going  to  Tabriz,  and  should  be  happy  to  execute  any 
commission  with  which  she  might  honour  us.  This  mes- 
sage produced  a  visit  from  two  of  the  principal  persons 


ONE  OF  THE  KING?S  WIVES.  195 

with  her;  and  shortly  after,  her  confidential  eunuch 
came  to  thank  us  for  our  civility.  He  was  a  handsome 
young  man  of  about  two  and  twenty,  very  lively,  and 
remarkably  courteous  in  his  manners ;  he  stayed  for  about 
a  quarter  of  an  hour ;  and  spoke  in  very  high  terms  of 
our  countrymen  at  Tabriz,  particularly  Dr.  Cormick,  the 
prince's  physician,  who  is  deservedly  a  favourite,  not 
only  with  the  Persians,  but  with  all  who  have  the  pleasure 
of  his  acquaintance.  The  eunuch  spoke  also  with  much 
friendship  of  our  late  shipmate,  Futteh  Ali  Khan,  who  to 
have  merited  the  encomiums  bestowed  on  him,  must 
have  behaved  much  better  at  Tabriz  as  the  dependant  of 
a  prince  than  in  India  when  a  prince  himself. 

Before  dusk  we  strolled  into  the  town,  and  as  usual, 
collected  a  crowd  about  us :  we  were  by  this  time  so  ac- 
customed to  the  gaze  of  the  inhabitants,  that  we  rather 
courted  communication  than  otherwise,  with  a  view  to 
lose  no  opportunity  of  becoming  acquainted  with  the  dis- 
position and  habits  of  the  people.  We  found  them  very 
civil,  and  instead  of  objecting  to  our  visit,  they  seemed 
much  pleased  with  us  for  observing  them.  The  women 
were  without  veils,  and  for  the  most  part  occupied  in 
making  those  beautiful  carpets,  for  which  this  country  is 
so  celebrated.  Many  of  these  were  offered  us  as  pre- 
sents; a  mode  adopted  in  the  East  for  disposing  of  goods 
for  double  their  value,  inasmuch  as  those  who  tender  the 
gift  expect  a  sum  in  return,  correspondent  to  the  conse- 
quence they  are  pleased  to  assign  the  party  to  whom  they 
make  the  offering. 

Harounabad  is  built  on  a  gradual  slope ;  the  houses  are 
very  low,  with  flat  connecting  roofs,  in  successive  lines 
one  above  the  other:  as  the  backs  are  level  with  the 
ground,  the  principal  communication  is  in  many  places 
along  the  roofs,  and  we  were  frequently  surprised  in 


196         BEAUTY  OF  THE  WOMEN  OF  HAROUNABAD. 

finding  ourselves  walking  on  the  tops  of  inhabited  dwel- 
lings, when  we  thought  we  were  traversing  the  solid 
ground. 

This  town,  as  its  name  implies,  was  formerly  a  resi- 
dence of  the  famous  Caliph  Haroun,  but  we  could  not 
trace  any  remains  of  a  palace  fit  to  receive  so  magnificent 
a  monarch.  The  town  is  small,  and  may  contain  about  a 
thousand  souls.  It  is  remarkable  for  the  beauty  of  its 
women,  probably  on  account  of  the  nearly  perpetual 
Spring  of  the  climate.  To  judge  from  some  we  saw 
washing  clothes  in  the  river,  the  fame  of  this  place  has 
not  been  ill  bestowed.  Independent,  therefore,  of  the  tem- 
perature of  Harounabad,  the  luxuriant  beauty  of  the  wo- 
men might  have  induced  so  gay  a  monarch  to  take  up 
his  occasional  abode  in  this  mountainous  retreat. 

April  21. — We  left  Harounabad  at  three  in  the  morn- 
ing ;  and  continued  ascending,  for  the  first  four  hours,  a 
circuitous  road  :  we  afterwards  passed  through  two  deep 
basins  formed  by  the  surrounding  mountains,  having  a 
considerable  descent  to  the  East.  At  ten  o'cloek  we 
reached  Mahidesht,  situate  in  an  exsensive  plain  of  an 
oval  form,  with  numerous  small  villages  scattered  over  it. 
The  snow  was  still  lying  on  the  surrounding  hills. 

Notwithstanding  our  dislike  to  a  caravanserai,  we  were 
obliged  to  take  up  our  quarters  there,  as  well  on  account 
of  the  robbers,  who  were  said  to  be  very  numerous,  as 
that  there  was  no  encamping  ground  in  the  vicinity. 
We  established  ourselves  over  the  gateway,  the  post  of 
honour  in  these  buildings.  By  this  arrangement  we 
were  more  commodiously  accommodated,  and  avoided  the 
necessity  of  coming  in  contact  with  the  numerous  badly 
embalmed  corpses,  with  which  the  other  parts  of  the 
caravanserai  were  promiscuously  strewed. 

As  we  were  only  one  stage  from  Kermansha,  we  sent 


trAY  CAL\ ALCADE.  19? 

forward  by  a  servant  the  letters  with  which  we  had  been 
intrusted  :  one  was  from  Aga  Saikeis  to  Meerza  Ahedy, 
the  minister  of  war  to  the  prince ;  and  the  others  from 
the  Chief  of  artillery  to  Messieurs  Court  and  De  Veaux, 
two  French  officers  in  the  service  of  his  Highness.  With 
the  recollection  of  the  inconveniences  attendent  on  the 
hospitality  of  the  British  agent,  we  sent  to  beg  that  we 
might  either  be  allowed  to  occupy  a  vacant  house,  or  to 
pitch  our  tents  in  any  of  the  gardens  adjoining  the  town. 

April  22. —  At  three  this  morning  we  started  for  Ker- 
manshah, distant  from  the  caravanserai  fourteen  miles. 
The  plain  of  Mahidesht  is  ten  miles  in  breadth,  four  of 
which  we  traversed  yesterday,  and  the  remaining  six  this 
morning.  Thence,  after  ascending  for  a  little  way,  we 
went  through  a  small  valley  between  two  mountains. 

The  remainder  of  the  road  led  over  a  succession  of  low 
hills.  The  morning  was  very  line.  In  rounding  a 
mountain,  we  came  somewhat  suddenly  in  sight  of  the 
smiling  and  fruitful  valley  of  Kermanshah  ;  a  numerous 
caravan  of  pilgrims  passed  us,  on  its  road  to  Kerbela. 

Three  miles  from  the  town,  as  we  were  descending  a 
hill,  we  saw  marshalled  at  a  short  distance  a  gay  party  on 
horseback,  equipped  in  the  Persian  dress.  As  soon  as 
we  came  in  sight,  they  met  us  at  full  speed  :  as  they  ap- 
approached,  two  of  the  party  galloped  forward  and  threw 
the  jereed.  It  was  easy  to  perceive  that  this  gaily  ca- 
parisoned cavalcade  had  assembled  in  compliment  to  us. 
We  were  for  a  moment  in  doubt  who  they  were ;  for  we 
looked  in  vain  for  the  European  costume  :  our  conjectures 
were  soon  set  at  rest  by  one  of  the  company,  with  a  long 
beard,  saluting  us  in  the  European  military  fashion,  and  in 
the  French  language,  bidding  us  welcome  to  Kermanshah. 
The  party  consisted  of  the  European  residents  of  the 
city,  together  with  their  united  trains  of  servants  and 

25 


198  DESCRIPTION  OF  KERMANSIIAH?. 

followers :  of  these  there  were  Messieurs  De  Veaux  and 
Court,  the  two  French  officers,  to  whom  we  had  letters  5 
two  Italians ;  and  another  person,  calling  himself  a  Spa- 
niard, of  whom  more  hereafter. 

We  did  not  come  within  sight  of  the  town  till  we  had 
entered  a  deep  and  broad  ravine,  at  the  top  of  which  it 
is  situated.  Kermanshah  is  encompassed  with  gardens, 
and  decked  with  numerous  small  kiosks  (pleasure  houses.) 
It  is  laid  out  in  walks,  canals,  and  reservoirs  of  water,  all 
of  which  have  a  picturesque  effect  on  the  approach.  The 
Kurasou,  a  river,  or  rather  a  mountain  torrent,  runs 
through  the  centre  of  the  town :  the  overflowing  of  its 
banks,  which  occasionally  happens,  is  attended  with  very 
serious  injury.  Three  years  ago  an  event  of  this  de- 
scription occurred,  in  which  the  lower  parts  of  the  town 
and  a  considerable  portion  of  the  inhabitants  were  entirely 
swept  away.  We  were  conducted  by  Messieurs  Court 
and  De  Veaux  to  their  house,  and  pressed  so  much  to  re- 
main there  during  our  stay,  that  we  could  not  help  yield- 
ing to  their  solicitations,  though  opposed  to  the  resolution 
we  had  formed  of  not  becoming  the  guests  of  any  one. 
Soon  after  our  arrival,  Hassan  Khan,  the  governor,  came 
on  the  part  of  the  Prince  to  tell  us  that  a  house  had  been 
prepared  for  our  reception,  and  that  his  Highness  desired 
we  would  consider  ourselves  as  his  guests ;  an  invitation 
we  declined,  with  due  acknowledgments  for  the  Prince's 
hospitality  and  condescension. 

We  passed  the  remainder  of  the  morning  in  conversa- 
tion with  our  new  acquaintances,  who  related  many  in- 
teresting particulars  of  the  late  war  with  the  Pasha  of 
Bagdad,  in  which  they  appear  to  have  borne  a  very  con- 
spicuous part.  These  gentlemen  and  the  Spanish  officer, 
Senor  Oms,  are  all  khans  (lords)  of  Persia,  and  knights 
of  the  lion  and  sun,  as  well  as  of  another  order,  the  in- 


PERSIAN  ORDER  OF  KNIGHTHOOD.  199 

signia  of  which  are  a  star,  with  the  curious  device  of  two 
lions  lighting  for  the  Persian  crown.  This  order  was  in- 
stituted by  the  king's  eldest  son,  Mohumud  AH  Meerza 
(the  late  prince  governor  of  this  country,)  and  derives  its 
origin  from  the  following  circumstance : — 

Some  years  since,  the  present  king,  in  conformity  to 
one  of  the  most  ancient  laws  of  Persia,*  assembled  his 
sons  for  the  purpose  of  nominating  a  successor  to  the 
throne,  on  the  event  of  his  death.  Abbas  Meerza,  the 
king's  second  son,  was  promised  this  high  dignity.  All 
the  princes  present  bowed  in  obedience  to  the  declaration 
of  the  royal  will,  with  the  exception  of  Mohumud  Ali 
Meerza,  who  alone  stood  erect.  Unawed  by  the  presence 
of  his  father  and  sovereign,  he  refused  to  acknowledge 
the  decree.  His  resistance  to  the  royal  mandate  was 
conveyed  in  the  following  bold  and  energetic  language : 
u May  God  preserve  the  King  of  Kings ;  but  if  my  brother 
and  myself  should  have  the  misfortune  to  survive  your 
Majesty,"  (and  he  half  unsheathed  his  sword  as  he  finished 
the  sentence,)  "this  shall  decide  the  accession  to  the 
throne."  The  two  warlike  brothers  nodded  mutual  de- 
fiance, and  were,  up  to  the  period  of  Mohumud  All's 
death,  open  and  avowed  enemies. 

On  the  return  of  the  French  officers  from  some  success- 
ful expedition  against  the  Turks,  they  asked  the  Prince 
to  institute  some  order  of  knighthood  as  a  reward  for  their 
services.  Mohumud  Ali  acceded ;  and  not  forgetting  his 
oath  of  enmity  to  his  brother,  founded  an  order  having 
the  appropriate  device  of  two  lions  fighting  for  the  crown, 
in  allusion  to  the  circumstance  related.  It  is  remarkable 
that  these  insignia  of  opposition  to  the  despotic  will  of 

*  In  the  same  manner  Cyrus,  previous  to  his  expedition  against 
the  Massagetae,  appointed  Cambyses  his  successor  to  the  Persian 

throne. 


200  CHARACTER  OF  MOHUMUD. 

the  sovereign  were  openly  sanctioned  by  the  King  himself; 
while  Mohumud  AH,  heretofore  ignorant  of  the  value  at- 
tached to  ribands  in  Europe,  was  surprised  and  gratified 
to  find  that  his  European  auxiliaries  were  content  with 
so  cheap  a  remuneration  for  their  many  and  important 
services. 

Mohumud  AH  is  generally  considered  to  have  been  the 
most  warlike  prince  of  the  present  (kajar)  dynasty.  His 
memory  is  held  in  the  highest  veneration  by  the  tribes 
over  whom  he  ruled.  A  man  who  could  lead  his  follow- 
ers to  conquest  and  plunder  must  have  been  acceptable  to 
these  wild  mountaineers,  who  had  inherited  a  thirst  for 
rapine  from  a  long  line  of  predatory  ancestors.  The  French 
officers  too  are  equally  euthusiastic  with  the  Coords  in 
praise  of  their  late  commander  ;  his  daring  spirit  appear- 
ing to  have  found  a  congenial  feeling  in  men  whose  love 
of  military  adventure  has  made  war  the  highest  enjoyment 
of  life.  In  1814,  when  the  reverses  of  Napoleon  appeared 
to  have  completely  closed  the  prospects  of  a  soldier  in 
Europe,  they  sought  and  found  in  the  troubled  regions 
of  the  East  an  ample  field  for  the  gratification  of  their 
darling  passion. 

As  mention  has  been  incidentally  made  of  the  pursuits 
of  these  officers,  it  may  not  be  amiss  to  state  a  fact,  per- 
haps not  generally  known,  that  a  number  of  military  men, 
of  different  nations  of  Europe,  are  at  this  moment  wan- 
dering over  Asia,  offering  their  services  to  the  Asiatic 
princes.  Seven  or  eight  European  officers  were  at  one 
time  employed  in  this  remote  province  (Kermanshah,) 
the  greater  part  of  whom  are  now  dispersed  over  the 
East.  To  what  point  they  have  shaped  their  course, 
Messrs.  Court  and  De  Veaux  could  give  us  no  account, 
though  of  themselves,  their  past  history,  and  their  future 
prospects,  they  scrupled  not  to  talk  in  the  most  unreserved 


ANECDOTE  OF  MOHUMUD  ALL  201 

manner.  They  had  at  one  time,  they  said,  intended  to 
have  gone  up  the  Indus,  for  the  purpose  of  offering  their 
services  to  an  Indian  prince,  who,  they  understood,  want- 
ed European  officers  to  conduct  his  forces  against  the 
English ;  but  they  had  been  induced  to  abandon  their  de- 
sign on  hearing  of  the  great  impediment  likely  to  be 
thrown  in  their  way  by  our  Indian  government. 

Among  other  anecdotes,  our  hosts  related  one  respect- 
ing the  late  prince  and  our  Bagdad  acquaintance  Gaspar 
Khan,  which  maybe  worth  inserting,  as  it  serves  to  illus- 
trate a  mode  of  punishment  common  at  Kermanshah — of 
burying  a  man  alive,  with  his  head  downwards  and  his 
legs  in  the  air. 

A  short  time  ago,  Gaspar  Khan,  who  is  employed  by 
the  King  in  commercial  transactions,  was  passing  from 
the  court  of  Persia  through  Kermanshah,  where  he  was 
received  with  much  civility  by  Mohumud  Ali  Meerza, 
who  took  him  round  one  of  his  gardens.  In  the  course 
of  the  walk,  his  Highness  asked  Gaspar,  if  the  garden 
was  not  deficient  in  something.  The  Khan,  as  in  duty 
bound,  replied,  that  the  garden  was  quite  perfect,  and 
required  no  addition.  Mohumud  Ali  replied,  "  Yes, 
there  is  a  tree  that  I  have  long  wanted :  it  is  called  Gas- 
par Khan,  and  it  shall  be  planted  immediately."  Then 
changing  his  tone,  he  said,  "  You  have  been  prejudicing 
the  king's  mind  against  me,  so  prepare  for  instant  death." 
The  Khan  begged  hard  for  life,  which  the  fear  of  ill- 
treating  a  king's  agent  most  probably  induced  him  to 
grant. 

At  12  o'clock,  the  Persian  hour  of  morning  repast,  we 
were  summoned  to  a  plentiful  meal,  combining  a  happy 
mixture  of  European  and  Asiatic  cookery.  We  had  nei- 
ther chairs  nor  tables,  the  cloth  being  spread  on  the  floor, 
and  we  seated  in  the  oriental  fashion.     Our  distress  in 


202  MOHUMUD  HOSEIN  MEZEER. 

this  uneasy  posture  presented  a  singularly  striking  con- 
trast to  the  obvious  comfort  enjoyed  by  our  hosts,  to 
whose  muscles  habit  had  given  a  flexibility  certainly  un- 
known to  ours.  The  feast  was  seasoned  by  some  excel- 
lent wine,  made  from  the  fine  grapes  of  the  neighbour- 
hood, which  was  cooled  by  frozen  snow  brought  from  the 
mountain,  the  silver  summit  of  which  was  visible  from  the 
apartment.  A  long  abstinence  from  wine  had  made  us 
more  than  usually  subject  to  the  powerful  influence  of  the 
generous  beverage;  and  after  a  few  quickly  repeated 
bumpers,  our  heads  felt  the  effect  of  the  potations  so 
strongly,  as  to  suggest  the  advantage,  if  not  the  absolute 
necessity,  of  taking  a  siesta. 

April  23. — We  went  this  morning  to  pay  our  respects 
to  Mohumud  Hosein  Meerza,  the  prince  governor.  His 
Highness  seemed  disposed  to  treat  us  with  more  than  or- 
dinary civility;  for  he  told  the  French  officers  that  he 
should  allow  us  to  be  seated  in  his  presence,  and,  as  this 
is  an  honour  never  granted  to  any  of  his  court,  he  would 
advise  them  not  to  be  present  at  the  interview.  These 
preliminaries  settled,  we  set  out  in  full  uniform  to  the 
palace,  where  we  found  Hassan  Khan,  the  governor,  in 
waiting  to  conduct  us  to  the  Prince.  We  passed,  in  our 
way  to  the  hall  of  audience,  through  a  number  of  pas- 
sages, not  remarkable  for  cleanliness,  and  arrived  at  an 
oblong  court,  in  the  centre  of  which  a  fountain  played. 
At  the  top  of  this  court,  the  Prince  was  seated  near  an 
open  window.  At  stated  intervals,  the  Governor  made 
profound  obeisances ;  but  as  every  thing  military  is  in 
vogue  in  this  country,  we  saluted  his  Highness  merely 
by  putting  our  hands  to  our  hats.  In  conformity  to  Per- 
sian etiquette,  he  took  no  notice  of  the  compliment,  and 
even  seemed  to  be  unconscious  of  our  presence.  On  our 
nearer  approach,  he  bade  us  welcome ;  so  leaving  our 


CONVERSATION  WITH  THE  PRINCE  GOVERNOR.  203 

slippers  in  the  court,  we  entered  the  hall ;  and,  following 
the  directions  of  the  Governor,  seated  ourselves  near  the 
door- way. 

A  few  minutes  before  our  interview,  Monsieur  De 
Veaux  had  been  with  the  Prince,  to  receive  his  instruc- 
tions relative  to  the  issue  of  some  clothing  to  those  troops 
who  were  to  escort  the  body  of  his  father  to  Meshed  AH ; 
and  also,  respecting  some  other  matters  connected  with 
the  order  of  the  funeral  from  Kermanshah,  a  ceremony 
which  was  to  take  place  in  two  days.  As  the  inspection 
of  these  arrangements  was  made  in  the  public  square,  the 
Prince  thought  it  necessary  to  play  the  mourner  on  the 
occasion.  No  sooner  did  he  come  in  sight  of  the  coffin 
which  contained  the  remains  of  his  father,  than  he  threw 
off  his  cap,  covered  his  head  with  ashes,  and,  rolling 
himself  on  the  ground,  bitterly  bewailed  the  loss  of  so 
illustrious  a  prince  and  so  good  a  father.  Having  per- 
formed this  ceremonial  of  grief  with  all  the  usual  Eastern 
decorum,  he  re-adjusted  his  cap,  clothed  himself  in  a 
scarlet  robe,  and  in  the  short  interval  between  the  in- 
spection and  our  visit,  laid  down  the  part  of  the  mourner, 
and  re-assumed  that  of  the  prince,  so  speedily  indeed, 
that  if  we  had  not  had  a  peep  behind  the  curtain,  we 
could  not  have  believed  that  one  actor  could  so  speedily 
have  performed  two  such  different  parts. 

His  Highness,  hearing  I  spoke  Persian,  put  a  number 
of  questions,  with  such  rapidity  that  I  often  felt  puzzled 
to  give  suitable  answers.  His  first  interrogatories  were, 
why  we  had  not  accepted  his  hospitality,  and  whether  we 
were  satisfied  with  the  Governor,  at  the  same  time  cast- 
ing an  inquisitive  glance  at  that  personage.  By  a  prompt 
answer  in  the  affirmative,  I  in  all  probability  saved  the 
soles  of  the  Governor's  feet  from  the  bastinado,  a  cheap 
compliment,  and,  though  at  the  expense  of  as  high  a 


204  THE  PRINCE  GOVERNOR. 

functionary,  not  unusually  conferred  on  a  guest  whom  an 
Eastern  prince  <*  delighteth  to  honour. "  Having  in- 
quired our  respective  ages,  he  wished  to  know  the  num- 
bers of  our  wives  and  children ;  but  when  he  found  we 
were  totally  unprovided  in  both  these  necessaries  of  life, 
he  urged  us  all  to  marry  the  moment  we  returned  to 
Europe.  As  he  repeated  this  injunction  often,  I  thought 
to  escape  from  the  oppressiveness  of  his  reiterated  advice 
by  briefly  observing,  that  in  our  country  we  were  deemed 
too  young  to  enter  on  so  serious  a  state  as  matrimony.  I 
could  not  have  stumbled  on  a  more  inappropriate  excuse. 
His  Highness  immediately  informed  us,  that  though 
younger  by  three  years  than  either  Mr.  Hart  or  myself, 
he  had  been  married  some  years,  and,  as  I  afterwards 
heard,  had  eighteen  wives,  a  proportionate  number  of 
children,  and  was  daily  adding  to  both  these  branches  of 
his  establishment.  The  last,  though,  in  his  opinion,  not 
the  least  important  observation  of  this  sapient  Prince, 
was  directed  to  the  scantiness  of  hair  which  our  faces 
exhibited,  each  of  us  having  only  mustaches,  which  are 
indispensable  in  this  country ;  but  this  scanty  allowance 
not  corresponding  with  his  idea  of  the  toilette,  he  strongly 
urged  our  wearing  long  beards,  at  the  same  time,  with 
much  complacency,  stroking  his  own,  which,  for  a  youth 
of  two  and  twenty,  was  of  most  precocious  growth.  I 
endeavoured  to  apologize  for  our  want  of  whiskers  by 
observing,  that  it  was  not  the  fashion  of  our  country; 
though  I  should  have  been  scarcely  justified  in  urging 
such  a  plea,  had  I  seen  the  present  "  men  about  town," 
whose  hairy  cheeks  would  almost  excite  the  envy  of  the 
great  Shah  himself. 


THREE  AKAB  VISITERS.  205 


CHAPTER  XVI. 


Three  Arab  Visiters — A  Chieftain — An  Astrologer— A  Moolah- 
Ancient  Sculptures  at  Tauk  Bostaun— Chosroes,  Shereen,  and 
Furhaud — Persian  Dance— Equestrian  Evolutions — Turcoman 
breed  of  Horses — Persian  mode  of  clearing  the  way  for  a  great 
Man — Funeral  Procession  of  Mohumud  Ali  Meerza— The 
Moolahi  Bashee — Suleiman  Khan  Kuruzungeer,  and  the  Sect 
of  Illahi.  Hi  I 


On  returning  to  our  quarters,  we  found  Messieurs  Court 
and  De  Veaux  seated  in  the  garden,  in  company  with  three 
Arabs,  all  of  whom  had  lately  fled  for  protection  from  the 
present  Pasha  of  Bagdad. 

One  of  these  was  the  young  Arab  Chieftain,  to  whom 
we  were  indebted  for  our  information  respecting  the  Calor 
banditti.  This  young  man's  father  had,  a  few  months 
back,  with  only  forty  men,  defended  a  fortress  against 
Davoud  Pasha,  but  had  ultimately  been  induced  to  sur- 
render, on  a  solemn  assurance  of  protection.  In  the  in- 
terview that  followed  the  capitulation,  the  Pasha,  un- 
mindful of  his  promise^  caused  his  head  to  be  struck  off, 
and  packed  up  in  a  parcel,  as  a  present  to  the  Grand 
Signior,  to  adorn  one  of  the  spikes  at  Constantinople. 

The  second  victim  of  oppression,  in  some  measure,  de- 
served his  fate.     He  was,  by  profession,  an  astrologer, 

26 


206  ARAB  CHIEFTAIN. — ARAB  ASTROLOGER. 

and  might  have  pursued  his  divinations  undisturbed,  had 
he  not  interfered  in  the  domestic  concerns  of  Davoud 
Pasha,  a  man  little  likely  to  allow  such  conduct  to  pass 
with  impunity.  It  appears  that  one  of  the  Pasha's  wives^ 
who  had  for  a  time  held  a  considerable  sway  over  his  af- 
fections, was  obliged  to  resign  it  in  favour  of  some  more 
youthful  beauty.  The  discarded  lady,  in  a  fit  of  jealousy, 
applied  to  this  dealer  in  occult  sciences  to  exert  his  su- 
pernatural influence,  either  in  alienating  the  affection  of 
Davoud  from  her  rival,  or  in  sowing  dissension  amongst 
the  whole  establishment,  in  revenge  for  her  neglected 
charms.  Whether  by  magic  influence  or  not,  certain  it 
is,  he  so  far  succeeded  in  the  latter  request,  that  he  set 
the  whole  haram  in  an  uproar.  The  Pasha,  on  discover- 
ing the  destroyer  of  his  peace,  immediately  issued  orders 
for  his  apprehension.  A  timely  flight  saved  the  head  of 
the  Magician,  though  he  left  behind  him  property  to  the 
amount  of  ten  thousand  piasters,  which  has,  in  all  proba- 
bility, consoled  the  Pasha  in  his  domestic  afflictions. 

The  third  person  in  this  group  had  no  claims  whatever 
on  our  commiseration.  His  name  was  Moolah  Ali,  an 
Arab,  though  he  wore  the  Persian  dress;  one  with  whom 
murder  and  every  other  crime  had  long  been  familiar. 
There  was  nothing,  however,  in  his  appearance  to  justify 
this  supposition,  nor  in  his  features  could  there  be  distin- 
guished any  of  those  marks  with  which  our  romance-wri- 
ters are  wont  to  stamp  the  countenance  of  a  murderer. 
On  the  contrary,  his  mild  eye  beamed  with  intelligence 
when  he  spoke,  and  his  mouth  was  lighted  up  with  so 
pleasing  a  smile,  that  the  diabolical  matter  of  his  speech 
was  often  lost  in  attending  to  the  pleasing  manner  of  his 
delivery.  Like  many  an  Asiatic  I  have  seen,  his  counte- 
nance was  so  entirely  at  variance  with  his  conduct,  as  to 
set  at  naught  all  the  boasted  science  of  a  physiognomist ; 
his  manners  were  remarkably  captivating.,  and  posses id 


THE  MOOLAH.  i<07 

that  easy  polish  for  which  the  natives  of  these  countries 
are  so  remarkable.  His  conscience  never  troubled  him 
with  "  air-drawn  daggers  yy  he  had  a  real  one  in  his  gir- 
dle, to  be  used  as  inclination  prompted. 

Not  many  weeks  before  we  saw  this  Moolah,  he  was 
one  of  the  principal  persons  of  Mendali,  a  Turkish  town 
near  the  frontier.  In  those  days  he  was  the  bosom  friend 
of  Davoud  Pasha,  "his  best  of  cut-throats,"  and  most 
willing  instrument  of  assassination.  It  was  during  his  in- 
timacy with  the  Pasha  that,  on  the  day  of  some  religious 
festival,  he  invited  sixteen  persons  to  a  feast,  and  placing 
a  confidential  agent  between  each  guest,  caused  every  one 
of  them  to  be  put  to  death,  himself  giving  the  signal  of 
slaughter  by  plunging  a  dagger  into  the  breast  of  the  per- 
son beside  him.  Such  feats  as  these  we  may  find  in  the 
histories  of  savage  countries.  Among  all  barbarians,  the 
virtue  of  hospitality,  so  vaunted,  has  rarely,  if  ever,  with- 
stood the  excitement  of  revenge  or  avarice. 

It  is  natural  to  suppose,  that  a  friendship  between  two 
such  persons  as  the  Moolah  and  the  Pasha,  cemented  as 
it  was  by  guilt,  could  not  be  of  long  duration ;  according- 
ingly,  we  soon  find  these  brethren  in  iniquity  the  most 
deadly  foes  ;  each  beginning  to  exercise  on  the  kindred, 
what  he  could  not  effect  on  the  head  of  the  family.  Se- 
venty of  the  Moolah's  relations  have  fallen  victims  to  the 
revenge  of  the  Pasha ;  his  father  is  chained  in  a  prison  in 
Bagdad,  and  ten  thousand  piasters  are  set  upon  his  own 
head.  In  the  mean  time,  he  has  not  been  backward  in 
retaliation.  Leaving  the  town  of  Mendali,  attended  by 
several  of  his  tribe,  he  sallied  forth  into  the  Desert,  at- 
tacked the  Turkish  caravans,  and  (to  use  his  own  expres- 
sion) struck  off,  at  every  opportunity,  the  heads  of  all 
those  wearing  turbans.*    The  women  of  the  party  fell 

*  The  turban  distinguishes  the  Turks,  from  the  Persians  who 
wear  sheepskin  cap1?. 


208  THE  MOOLAH, 

victims  to  the  licentious  passions  of  himself  and  follower^ 
and  other  brutal  excesses  were  committed  by  these  ruffi- 
ans that  would  scarcely  be  credited  in  our  own  country. 

Observing  us  listen  with  much  interest  to  this  detail  of 
crime,  and  taking  for  granted  that  our  attention  was  a 
mark  of  sympathy,  he  said,  with  an  air  of  gratitude, 
"  How  kind  it  is  of  you  to  enter  so  warmly  into  my  pur- 
suits !" 

During  our  stay  at  Kermanshah  we  were  in  daily  inter- 
course with  this  accomplished  villain,  who  upon  most  sub- 
jects possessed  a  degree  of  information  far  beyond  the 
generality  of  his  countrymen.  Of  his  deeds  and  projects 
he  always  spoke  with  the  most  unblushing  effrontery, 
telling  us  that  his  schemes  of  plunder  were  only  suspend- 
ed till  the  remains  of  Mohumud  AH  Meerza  should  be 
safely  deposited  in  the  holy  burying-ground.  Any  act  pf 
hostility  committed  by  him  while  a  retainer  of  the  court, 
would  probably  be  retaliated  by  some  insult  to  the  corpse ; 
and  this  would  make  the  Prince  his  enemy,  with  whom  it 
was  so  much  his  interest  to  keep  on  good  terms ;  "  but," 
added  he,  6i  that  business  once  settled,  Allah  grant  that 
the  Pasha  may  fall  into  my  hands,  and  then  I  will  tear 
out  his  heart  and  drink  his  blood.7'  On  our  first  saluta- 
tion in  a  morning  he  would  always  repeat  the  words, 
"Inshallah  Pasha,"  (God  willing,  the  Pasha,)  supplying 
the  rest  of  the  sentence  by  significantly  passing  his  finger 
across  his  throat.* 

We  one  day  asked  the  Moolah  how  he  generally  de- 
prived his  enemies  of  life?  "That,"  replied  he,  "is  as 
I  can  catch  them.  Some  I  have  killed  in  battle,  others  I 
have  stabbed  sleeping."  Another  time  we  had  the  curi- 
osity to  examine  his  pistols,  which,  we  had  often  remark- 
ed, were  studded  with  several  red  nails.     On  inquiring 

*  In  allusion  to  the  Turkish  form  of  passing  a  sentence  of  death 
on  a  criminal. 


TAUL  BOSTAUN. — COLOSSAL  FIGURE.  209 

the  reason,  he  told  us  that  each  nailwas  to  commemorate 
the  death  of  some  enemy  who  had  fallen  by  that  weapon. 
April25. — We  went  this  morning  to  examine  the  cele- 
brated ancient  sculptures  in  this  neighbourhood,  at  a  place 
called  Tauk  Bostaun,  distant  six  miles  from  the  town. 
We  paid  another  visit  to  these  antiquities  the  day  before 
our  departure  from  Kermanshah.  They  are  situated  in 
two  recesses,  excavated  in  the  west  side  of  the  mountain, 
the  principal  of  which  is  twenty-four  feet  seven  inches 
wide,  and  twenty  feet  four  inches  deep.  The  entrance 
is  a  handsome  semicircular  arch,  ornamented  with  well- 
executed  sculpture.  The  pillars  to  the  spring  of  the  arch 
have  elegant  flower  ornaments  in  pannels.  Above  these, 
on  each  side,  are  winged  female  figures,  in  Grecian  dra- 
pery, holding  in  their  right  hands,  which  are  stretched 
towards  each  other,  circular  fillets  of  jewels,  and  in  their 
left,  bowls  of  an  Etruscan  shape,  apparently  containing 
wreaths  of  flowers,  similar  to  what  are  used  in  India  on 
occasions  of  ceremony.  These  figures  are  dressed  in 
loose  flowing  robes,  with  jackets  fitting  close  to  the  body, 
distinctly  displaying  the  upper  part  of  the  shape  :  round 
the  waist  of  the  entire  figure  is  a  band,  fastened  with  a 
clasp  of  jewels.  The  features  appeared  to  be  Abyssinian; 
the  hair  is  in  regular  curls  on  each  side  of  the  face.  Be- 
tween these  figures,  on  the  top  of  the  arch,  is  a  winged 
crescent ;  the  sides  of  the  recess  are  wholly  covered  with 
sculptures.  Facing  the  entrance  is  a  colossal  figure  on 
horseback,  in  such  high  relief,  that  only  the  left  shoulder 
of  the  horse  and  horseman  adhere  to  the  rock.  This  is 
said  to  be  Rustam,  the  most  celebrated  hero  of  Persian 
romance.  He  is  clad  in  chain  armour,  similar  to  that 
worn  by  English  warriors  in  the  early  times  of  the  Cru- 
sades, and  by  the  Coords  of  the  present  day.  He  carries 
in  the  right  hand  a  poised  spear ;  in  the  left,  a  circular 
shield ;  and  a  quiver  of  arrows  are  bound  on  the  right 


210  ANCIENT  SCULPTURES. 

thigh.  The  horse  is  richly  caparisoned,  after  the  man- 
ner common  in  India  at  this  #  time.  The  right  hand  of 
Rustam  is  broken,  as  are  part  of  the  head,  and  the  off 
hind-leg  of  the  horse. 

Immediately  above  the  statue  are  three  figures,  dressed 
in  rich  robes,  said  to  be  King  Khosro.  or  Chosroes,  with 
his  wife,  Shereen,  on  his  right,  and  her  lover,  Furhaud, 
on  his  left  hand.  Both  these  last  have  circular  wreaths 
in  their  right  hands,  which  they  are  holding  up  to  Chos- 
roes, whose  right  hand  is  stretched  to  receive  them  from 
Furhaud,  and  whose  left  rests  on  a  large  double-handed 
sword.  On  the  head  costume  of  Chosroes  is  a  sort  of  ball, 
observable  on  the  coins  of  the  Sassanian  kings.  Shereen 
appears  to  be  holding  an  Etruscan  pitcher,  from  which  a 
fluid  is  issuing,  apparently  in  the  act  of  libation.  This  is 
thought  to  have  some  allusion  to  the  neighbouring  stream. 
The  faces  of  these  figures  were  mutilated  by  order  of  Na- 
dir Shah,  who  wished  to  destroy  the  whole  group.  On 
each  side  of  the  recess  are  two  fluted  pillars  with  flowered 
capitals,  somewhat  resembling  the  Corinthian  order.  On 
the  right  side  of  the  recess  is  the  representation  of  a  boar- 
hunt  with  elephants,  in  which  are  several  hundred  figures 
of  men,  women,  and  animals.  This  side  exhibits  the  ap- 
pearance of  a  large  jungle  full  of  game.  In  the  centre  is 
a  lake,  on  the  surface  of  which  are  observed  swans  and  four 
boats.  In  the  two  largest  boats  are  two  figures  of  a  size 
superior  to  the  others,  and  armed  with  a  bow,  an  eastern 
mark  of  sovereignty.  The  two  monarchs  are  attended 
with  a  band  of  female  harpers.  The  boats  are  of  a  pecu- 
liar construction,  dissimilar  to  any  I  have  seen  in  these 
countries,  but  propelled,  after  the  ancient  as  well  as  mo- 
dern manner,  by  two  men,  one  at  the  prow,  and  the  other 
at  the  stern.  Two  sides  of  the  jungle  are  lined  with  men 
on  elephants,  which  animals  (as  is  common  in  Indian 
boar-hunting)  appear  to  be  driving  them  towards  the 


ANCIENT  SCULPTURES.  211 

sportsmen,  who  with  their  bows  and  arrows  seem  to  do 
considerable  execution.  A  small  portion  towards  the 
corner  is  appropriated  to  those  men  and  elephants  dis- 
posing of  the  dead  game.  The  human  figures  here  are 
in  the  Grecian  costume.  On  the  opposite  side  to  this 
group  is  a  deer-hunt,  which  evidently  was  never  finished. 
In  this  portion  there  are  three  royal  personages  mounted 
on  horseback,  all  armed  with  bows ;  but  one  appears  of 
superior  rank  to  the  others,  as  he  has  a  parasol  held  over 
his  head.  On  the  top,  at  this  side,  is  a  band  of  musicians 
playing  on  various  instruments,  amongst  which  may  be 
recognized  the  tamtam,  the  trumpet,  the  harp,  and  the 
flute. 

I  cannot  close  the  description  of  this  beautiful  specimen 
of  ancient  workmanship,  without  giving  a  short  account 
of  a  more  modern  production  of  the  chisel,  which  was  in- 
tended to  eclipse  the  ancient  sculpture. 

Above  the  boar-hunt,  executed  in  very  high  relief,  are 
three  figures  of  colossal  stature,  but  executed  with  true 
Persian  disregard  to  symmetry  or  proportion.  They  are 
intended  to  represent  the  late  Prince  Mohumud  Ali 
Meerza,  his  son  the  present  governor  of  Kermanshah., 
and  the  Khojahi  Bashee  (chief  of  the  eunuchs,)  to  whom 
the  arts  are  indebted  for  this  superlative  piece  of  barba- 
rous sculpture. 

The  figures  are  clothed  in  the  full  costume  of  the  Per- 
sian court,  the  princes  wearing  their  royal  tiaras,  and  the 
chief  of  the  eunuchs  himself,  in  his  dress  of  state,  stand- 
ing  by  in  attendance.  This  personage  being  of  opinion 
that  the  mere  stone  gave  too  faint  a  delineation  of  real 
life,  resolved  to  press  into  the  service  of  Statuary,  her 
sister  Painting.  The  sculpture  is  daubed  and  gilded  in 
such  a  manner,  as  to  eclipse,  in  the  opinion  of  the  na- 
tives, the  more  unpretending  performance  of  the  an- 
cient^ 


212  ANCIENT  PERSIC  INSCRIPTION. 

A  short  distance  to  the  left  of  this  excavation,  is  situ* 
ated  the  second.  In  it  are  two  figures  holding  in  their 
hands  a  circular  wreath :  a  figure  stands  behind  that  on 
the  right  with  a  baton  in  his  hand,  and  is  urging  or  en- 
forcing some  counsel.  The  two  figures  appear  to  be  ce- 
menting a  treaty  of  peace  over  the  body  of  a  fallen  enemy. 
On  each  side  of  the  figures  is  an  inscription  in  the  ancient 
Persic  language,  which  has  been  translated  by  M.  de 
Sacy  to  the  following  effect:  "This  is  the  figure  of  the 
adorer  of  Ormusd,  the  excellent  Shapoor,  King  of  Kings 
of  Iran  and  Aniran,  sprung  from  the  celestial  race  of 
gods,  son  of  the  adorer  of  Ormusd,  of  the  excellent  Hoo- 
muz,  King  of  Kings  of  Iran  and  Aniran,  of  the  celestial 
race  of  gods,  grandson  of  the  excellent  Narses,  King  of 
Kings.'" 

On  the  other  side  the  words  are — u  This  is  the  figure 
of  the  adorer  of  Ormusd,  the  excellent  Baraham,  King  of 
Kings  of  Iran  and  Aniran,  sprung  from  the  celestial  race 
of  gods,  son  of  the  adorer  of  Ormusd,  of  the  excellent 
Shapoor,  King  of  Kings  of  Iran  and  Aniran,  of  the  celes- 
tial race  of  gods,  grandson  of  the  excellent  Ormuz,  King 
of  Kings." 

These  inscriptions  fix  almost  precisely  the  era  of  this 
excavation,  and  tend  in  some  degree  to  give  a  date  to  the 
larger  portion  of  the  sculptures.  The  inscription  to  the 
right  alludes  to  Shapoor,  a  king  of  the  Sassanian  dynasty, 
who  died  in  the  latter  end  of  the  fourth  century:  that  to 
the  left  is  to  Baraham  the  Fourth,  who,  succeeding  his 
elder  brother,  Shapoor  the  Third,  was  surnamed  Ker- 
manshah  (Shah  or  King  of  Kerman,)  from  having  for- 
merly been  Viceroy  of  that  province :  by  him  the  city  of 
Kermanshah  was  founded. 

These  two  excavations  appear  to  be  so  related  to  each 
other,  that  they  may  be  considered  as  belonging  to  the 
same  dynasty  of  kings  :  but.  I  should  be  inclined  to  consi- 


CHOSROES,  SHEREEN,  AND  FURIlAUD.  213 

der  them  as  the  productions  of  different  periods,  because 
the  principal  excavation,  in  which  there  is  no  inscrip- 
tion, is  executed  in  a  style  infinitely  superior  to  the  other. 
Both  are  so  much  beyond  the  workmanship  of  the  native 
artists  in  the  Sassanian  era,  that  they  must  be  productions 
of  Grecian  sculptors,  many  of  whom  were  retained  in  the 
Persian  court  after  the  overthrow  of  the  Seleucian  dy- 
nasty in  the  East.  The  ball,  or  globular  appearance  ob- 
servable in  the  head  costume  of  the  figures,  in  both  exca- 
vations, belongs  evidently  to  the  race  of  the  Sassanidse, 
as  may  be  seen  by  referring  to  the  coins  of  that  raGe  of 
kings. 

The  larger  excavation  is  said  to  have  been  made  in  the 
reign  of  the  celebrated  Chosroes,  or  Khosro  Puviz,  as  he 
is  called  in  Persian  history ;  and,  in  the  absence  of  more 
authentic  information,  I  see  no  reason  to  doubt  the  accu- 
racy of  the  tradition,  jas  far  as  regards  the  period  of  the 
sculpture.  Our  guides  attribute  it  to  Furhaud,  an  Indian 
prince,  who,  they  say,  became  so  enamoured  of  the  beau- 
tiful Shereen,  that,  unable  to  conquer  his  passion,  he 
communicated  the  state  of  his  feelings  to  her  husband, 
Chosroes,  and  modestly  requested  that  the  king  would 
yield  up  his  lovely  wife.  Strange  to  say,  though  Chos- 
roes was  the  most  uxorious  husband  that  ever  flourished 
in  Persian  story,  so  great  was  his  friendship  for  the  young 
prince,  that  he  consented  to  grant  him  his  request,  ac- 
companied with  this  single  condition,  that  in  testimony 
of  his  disinterested  friendship,  Furhaud  would  produce 
these  specimens  of  art  which  I  have  endeavoured  to  de- 
scribe. 

There  is  a  striking  similitude  in  this  relation  and  that 
of  La  Nouvelle  Heloise.  Here,  as  in  the  French  tale, 
the  love  of  Furhaud  for  this  oriental  Julie  is  sanctioned 
by  the  husband.  A  slight  discrepancy,  however^  occurs 
in  this  story,  which  puts  in  a  much  more  generous  light 


214       SINGULAR  TRADITION.— A  PERSIAN  DANCE. 

the  sacrifice  of  the  Persian,  than  that  of  the  Swiss  hus- 
band, Monsieur  de  Wolmar,  who  acquiesced  in  the  affec- 
tion of  St.  Preux  for  his  lady,  upon  the  understanding 
that  it  was  to  be  conducted  with  the  strictest  regard  to 
Platonic  rules ;  while  Chosroes,  ignorant  that  such  an  in- 
dividual, or  his  doctrine,  ever  existed,  or  doubtful  of  its 
efficacy,  imposed  only  the  conditions  I  have  stated,  before 
lie  would  consent  to  resign  the  partner  of  his  bosom  to  the 
arms  of  his  friend. 

The  neighbourhood  of  the  excavations  is  held  in  high 
veneration  by  the  natives,  as  having  been  the  retreat  of 
Hajee  Ibrahim  Shah  Zada,  a  royal  hermit  of  great  sanc- 
tity. A  small  low  hut  was  pointed  out  to  us  as  his  cell. 
In  the  interior  we  saw  a  stone  with  a  Cufic  inscription. 
At  a  short  distance  were  large  heaps  of  stones,  said  to  be 
the  remains  of  an  ancient  city  and  temple  of  fire  worship- 
pers, but  we  could  gain  no  further  information  respect- 
ing them. 

After  visiting  these  sculptures  we  retired  to  a  tent, 
where  we  found  a  Persian  breakfast  prepared  for  us  by 
Senor  Oms.  During  the  meal  a  Persian  dance  was  ex- 
hibited. The  performer  was  supposed  to  personate  a 
bride,  though,  in  conformity  to  the  depraved  taste  of  the 
country,  a  boy  twelve  years  old  was  her  representative. 
Three  musicians,  with  instruments  more  capable  of  making 
noise  than  producing  melody,  beat  time  to  the  dancer, 
whose  motions  were  neither  decent  nor  graceful,  though 
our  host  and  his  native  visiters  seemed  enraptured  with 
the  performance,  and  evinced  their  approbation  by  loud 
shouts  of  encouragement  and  clapping  their  hands.  A 
hunch-back  player  on  the  tambourine  got  so  drunk  that 
he  was  unable  to  proceed ;  so  he  was  hoisted  on  a  horse, 
behind  one  of  the  servants,  and  with  his  departure  ended 
this  disgusting  performance. 

We  were  witnesses  to  a  more  pleasing  exhibition  in 


TURCOMAN  BREED  OF  HORSES.  215 

returning  homeward:  a  mounted  servant  of  Nasir  Ali 
Meerza,  one  of  the  Prince's  brothers,  went  past  us  at 
full  gallop,  and  vaulting  completely  over  the  high  peak 
of  his  Persian  saddle,  seated  himself  on  the  horse's  neck, 
with  his  face  towards  its  tail;  then  seizing  his  gun, 
which  was  slung  at  his  back,  he  threw  down  his  cap  and 
fired  at  it ;  the  horse  all  the  time  going  at  full  speed  over 
uneven  ground,  strewed  with  loose  stones  and  pieces  of 
rock.  The  horse  this  man  rode  was  of  the  Turcoman 
breed,  which  is  here  preferred  to  the  Arabian.  It  is  much 
taller  than  the  Arab,  standing  generally  from  fifteen  to 
sixteen  hands  ;  and  in  comparison  with  that  beautiful  ani- 
mal appears  to  great  disadvantage,  both  with  respect  to 
symmetry,  and  promise  of  strength  or  action.  It  has  lit- 
tle bone,  long  legs,  a  spare  carcass,  and  a  large  head  out 
of  all  proportion  with  its  body.  Notwithstanding  this 
unpromising  appearance,  the  Turcoman  is  said  to  be  ca- 
pable of  enduring  very  great  fatigue,  and  the  facility  with 
which  it  ascends  the  most  rugged  eminences  is  astonish- 
ing. The  plains  in  the  neighbourhood  of  Kermanshah 
are  supposed  to  be  the  same  as  those  mentioned  by  Arrian*- 
and  Herodotus,  as  the  country  of  the  Nissei,  famous  for  its 
breed  of  horses.  Here,  according  to  Herodotus,  one  hun- 
dred and  fifty  thousand  horses  were  accustomed  to  graze ; 
but  Arrian  says  that  there  were  only  five  thousand  when 
Alexander  the  Great  came  here,  nearly  all  the  rest  having 
been  stolen  away.  As  there  is  no  tale,  however  fabulous, 
in  the  Arabian  Nights  that  has  not  some  reference  or  al- 
lusion to  reality,  the  fame  of  the  cattle  of  this  neighbour- 
hood may  have  suggested  to  the  mind  of  the  author  the 
story  of  the  Winged  Horse  of  Coordistan. 

April  26. — The  French  officers  accompanied  us  this 
morning  on  horseback,  to  make  a  survey  of  the  town. 

*  Arrian,  Lib,  7,  cap,  13- 


216  K.1D£  THROUGH  THE  TOWN. 

We  were  attended  by  a  considerable  number  of  servants, 
armed  with  sticks,  who  led  us  through  a  succession  of 
narrow  streets,  and  at  length  brought  us  into  the  bazaar, 
which  was  at  that  time  exceedingly  crowded:  here  we 
were  shocked  to  observe  the  use  to  which  these  batons 
were  applied.  Whenever  our  progress  was  in  the  least 
impeded  by  the  crowd,  the  servants  called  out,  "  Make 
way  for  the  Gentlemen!"  and  enforced  their  desire  with 
the  unremitting  application  of  the  stick,  regardless  of 
whom  they  struck,  or  where  the  blows  fell.  As  we  had 
reason  to  believe  that  this  barbarous  ceremony  of  Orien- 
tal despotism  was  intended  as  a  compliment  to  us,  we 
earnestly  begged  that  the  practice  might  be  dispensed 
with  on  our  account,  as  we  could  not  but  feel  distressed 
at  being  the  innocent  instruments  of  such  wanton  barba- 
rity. Our  hosts  ridiculed  our  scruples,  upon  the  plea 
that  it  was  the  custom  of  the  country,  and  our  precursors 
continued  to  belabour  the  unresisting  multitude  as  before. 
In  the  course  of  the  ride,  our  consequence  suffered  a 
slight  interruption.  In  turning  one  of  the  corners  of  the 
bazaar,  we  came  suddenly  on  the  retinue  of  the  young 
Prince  Tamas  (Thomas)  Meerza,  governor  of  Hamadun, 
and  a  brother  of  Mohumud  Hosein  Meerza,  who  were 
pursuing  the  same  measures  to  clear  the  way  for  his 
Highness ;  but  so  blind  was  the  zeal  of  our  lictors  for  the 
consequence  of  their  masters,  that  the  presence  of  roy- 
alty failed  to  arrest  their  attention,  and  the  foremost  of 
the  Prince's  attendants  were  favoured  by  a  few  marks  of 
their  unsparing  regard.  Our  servants  were  thunder- 
struck on  discovering  their  error ;  but  our  manifestations 
of  respect  to  the  Prince  superseded  the  necessity  of  an 
explanation.  The  passengers  enjoyed  a  momentary  truce 
from  this  rencontre ;  the  operation  of  clubs  on  both  sides 
were  suspended  for  the  time;  but  the  parties  had  no 
sooner  got  clear  of  each  other,  than  hostilities  upon  the 


INTERMENT  OF  THE  LATE  PHINCE.  217 

unfortunate  crowd  were  again  commenced  with  redoubled 
vigour. 

April  27. — For  the  last  two  days,  guns  had  been  fired 
at  intervals,  preparatory  to  the  removal  of  the  late 
Prince's  corpse  for  interment  at  Meshed  Ali.  This 
morning  being  appointed  for  the  setting  out  of  the  cor- 
lege,  we  put  crape  on  our  left  arms  and  sword-hilts,  and 
mounting  our  horses,  set  off  at  an  early  hour,  anxious  to 
witness  the  novel  ceremony  of  a  Prince's  funeral  proces- 
sion two  years  after  his  decease. 

As  our  eagerness  to  be  in  time  brought  us  out  much 
sooner  than  was  necessary,  we  dismounted  in  a  garden 
near  the  road-side,  and  whiled  away  a  couple  of  hours  in 
observing  the  various  chatting  parties  around  us,  all 
dressed  in  black,  their  merry  faces  being  somewhat  curi- 
ously contrasted  with  their  mournful  garb. 

Our  attention  to  these  groups  was  diverted  by  the  ap- 
pearance of  a  blind  horseman  of  about  sixty  years  of  age ; 
he  was  attended  by  a  train  of  servants,  one  of  whom  held 
the  rein  of  his  bridle:  upon  inquiry  we  learned  tbat  he 
was  a  counsellor  of  the  Prince's,  by  name  Hassan  Khan^ 
to  which  was  added  the  epithet  of  Khoord  (the  Blind,) 
to  distinguish  him  from  the  numerous  courtiers  of  the 
same  name. 

In  the  brief  interval  of  anarchy  that,  according  to  cus- 
tom, followed  the  death  of  the  late  King, — Hassan  Khan, 
at  the  head  of  what  forces  he  could  collect,  became  a 
competitor  for  the  crown  ;  but  being  conquered,  was  de- 
prived of  sight  by  order  of  his  more  successful  rival. 

A  sudden  discharge  of  cannon,  followed  by  loud  shrieks 
and  lamentations,  announced  to  us  that  the  Prince  had  left 
the  palace  with  the  body  of  his  father.  We  took  our  sta- 
tion near  the  gates  of  the  town,  ready  to  fall  in  with  the 
procession.  Near  this  place,  riding  a  handsome  charger, 
was  Nasir  Ali  Meerza^  the  youngest  son  of  the  late  Prince. 


218  NASIR  ALI  MEER2A. 

a  pretty  boy  of  about  five  years  old.  His  little  Highness 
was  attended  by  a  pigmy  train  of  courtiers  of  his  own  age 
and  size,  who  seemed  as  well  versed  in  the  art  of 
rendering  homage,  as  their  little  lord  and  master  was  in 
receiving  it ;  as  for  himself,  he  appeared  to  be  quite  in- 
different either  to  the  noise  of  the  crowd,  or  the  occasion 
of  it,  all  the  time  preserving  a  serious  and  dignified  de- 
meanour ;  and,  as  we  approached  him,  he  returned  our 
salute  with  the  easy  air  of  one  long  accustomed  to  this 
sort  of  attention.  But — little  Highnesses  are  always  great 
people.  The  Due  de  Bourdeaux,  a  boy  of  the  same  age 
as  the  young  Persian,  when  he  reviewed  his  troops,  was 
graciously  pleased  to  compliment  them  on  their  skill  in 
military  evolutions;  and  the  King  of  Rome,  just  escaped 
from  the  go-cart,  reviewed  the  Marshals  of  France  with 
that  precocious  dignity  so  inherent  in  royal  progenies. 

In  the  mean  while  the  procession  issued  slowly  out  of 
the  town,  led  by  the  artisans :  each  craft  had  with  it  a 
black  banner,  and  a  horse  equipped  in  the  same  mourn- 
ful trappings.  Next  came  two  men  renowned  for  their 
strength,  carrying  a  large  brass  ornament  representing  a 
palm-tree.  After  them  two  hundred  Coordish  soldiers, 
who  were  to  escort  the  corpse  to  Meshed  Ali :  they  wore 
blue  jackets,  cut  in  the  European  fashion,  and  the  rest  of 
their  dress  was  according  to  the  costume  of  the  country. 
The  escort  was  preceded  by  a  corps  of  drums  and  fifes 
playing  a  variety  of  tunes,  principally  English  :  "  Rule 
Britannia"  was  one  ;  and  there  were  several  country 
dances.  After  the  military,  came  the  representatives  of 
the  Church — a  large  body  of  mounted  Moolahs  (priests,) 
headed  by  their  Bashee  (chief,)  a  jolly  drunken-looking 
fellow,  who,  with  a  voice  amounting  to  a  scream,  recited 
verses  from  a  Koran,  in  which  he  was  joined  by  his  fol- 
lowers, who  made  the  air  resound  with  their  vociferous 
lamentations.     Behind  them  was  the  corpse  of  Mohumud 


FUNERAL  PROCESSION,  219 

Ali  Meerza,  borne  by  two  mules,  in  that  sort  of  covered 
litter  called  in  Persian  a  tnkhte  ruwaun. 

Immediately  behind  the  corpse  were  Mohumud  Hosein, 
the  ruling  Prince,  and  two  of  his  brothers ;  the  principal 
officers  of  the  court  closed  the  procession. 

At  intervals  the  cavalcade  stopped,  when  every  one, 
baring  his  breast,  struck  it  so  violently  with  his  hand, 
that  the  flesh  bore  visible  marks  of  the  severity  of  the 
discipline :  at  these  times  the  shouts  were  redoubled,  and 
tears  flowed  copiously  from  every  eye.  Large  groups  of 
women,  veiled  from  head  to  foot,  and  huddled  together 
almost  into  shapeless  heaps,  were  seated  on  each  side  of 
the  road,  and  were  by  no  means  the  least  silent  mourners 
of  the  party. 

We  fell  in  with  the  French  officers  in  rear  of  the 
troops ;  two  or  three  chiefs  were  in  the  same  line  with 
us.  Immediately  on  my  right  was  a  handsome  young 
man,  whose  eyes  were  red  with  weeping.  He  had  been 
a  favourite  follower  of  the  late  Prince,  for  whom  he  had 
entertained  a  most  sincere  attachment ;  and  I  was  begin- 
ning to  sympathise  with  him  in  his  sorrows,  when  it  was 
insinuated  that  it  was  just  possible  wine,  and  not  grief, 
had  caused  his  tears  to  flow — a  surmise  that  his  subse- 
quent behaviour  in  some  degree  warranted. 

After  proceeding  about  a  mile,  wre  quitted  the  proces- 
sion, and  halting  on  one  side  of  the  road,  waited  till  the 
Prince  had  given  us  the  murukhus,  or  permission  to  de- 
part. His  eyes  were  much  inflamed,  and  tears  chased  each 
other  down  his  cheeks.  Thus  far  the  ceremonial  of  grief 
had  been  conducted  with  the  greatest  propriety ;  and  any 
one  witnessing  the  mournful  demeanour  of  the  Prince  this 
morning,  would  have  been  impressed  with  a  high  opinion 
of  his  filial  piety.  The  day  closed  on  a  scene  of  a  very 
different  description.  The  funeral  procession  arrived  at 
Mahidesht  near  sunset,  when  his  Highness  ordered  the 


220  THE  M00LAHI  BASHEE. 

caravanserai  to  be  cleared  of  its  inmates,  and,  taking  with 
him  several  boon  companions,  this  sorrowing  son  passed 
the  night  in  drinking  and  singing,  determined  to  keep 
his  father's  wake  in  the  true  Irish  fashion,  and,  if  any 
grief  or  care  remained,  to  drown  it  in  the  howl.  The 
following  morning,  these  merry  mourners  remounted  their 
horses,  and  reached  Kermanshah  without  accident;  though 
the  Prince  was  so  intoxicated,  that  on  arriving  at  the  pa- 
lace-gate he  fell  off  his  horse  into  the  arms  of  his  attend- 
ants, and  was  by  them  conveyed  to  his  own  apartment  in 
a  state  of  drunken  insensibility. 

Foremost  on  the  list  of  persons  selected  by  his  High- 
ness to  assist  him  in  the  celebration  of  these  funeral  orgies, 
was  the  Moolahi  Bashee,  once  his  tutor,  and  now  his  asso- 
ciate in  every  species  of  debauchery.  He  who  as  chief 
of  the  religion  had,  in  the  day,  with  weeping  eyes  and 
melancholy  howl,  sung  the  requiem  to  the  soul  of  the 
father,  was,  in  the  night,  administering  spiritual  consola- 
tion to  that  of  the  son.  He  who,  in  the  morning,  chanted 
verses  from  that  book  which  inculcates  wine  as  an  abomi- 
nation, was,  in  the  evening,  so  overcome  by  its  influence, 
as  to  be  scarcely  able  to  hiccup  out  the  licentious  songs* 
of  his  country. 

The  person  from  whom  wTe  received  this  information 
was  likewise  one  of  the  party;  no  other  than  Suleiman 
Khan,  the  chieftain  whose  grief  had  attracted  my  atten- 
tion at  the  funeral.  We  were  sitting  after  dinner  in  the 
evening,  when  this  person,  in  the  same  "  suit  of  solemn 
black"  as  of  the  preceding  day,  staggered  into  the  room. 
Interrupting  his  relation  here  and  there  with  an  occa- 

*  Some  Persian  love-songs  have  been  elegantly  translated  into 
English  by  one  of  the  most  flowery  poets  of  the  last  century^  but 
the  reader  would  throw  down  the  verses  with  disgust,  if  he  were 
aware  of  the  objects  to  whom  these  amatory  effusions  are  gene- 
rally addressed. 


SULEIMAN  KHAN. — SECT  OF  ILLAIII.  221 

sional  roar  of  laughter,  he  described  to  us  those  scenes  of 
revelry  of  which  he  had  been  so  willing  a  participator. 

Suleiman  Khan,  surnamed  Kuruzungeer,  is  chief  of  a 
tribe  of  twelve  thousand  Coords,  the  best  foot-soldiers  in 
the  Persian  dominions.  They  are  not  Mahometans,  but 
of  a  peculiar  sect  called  AH  Illahi,  that  is,  Ali  is  of  God. 
They  acknowledge  Christ  as  the  Messiah,  but  believe  that 
he  appeared  on  earth  a  second  time  in  the  person  of  Ali. 
They  practise  circumcision,  but  not  as  a  religious  rite. 
As  dissenters  from  the  established  religion  of  a  country 
are  generally  viewed  with  more  dislike  than  those  who 
deny  its  tenets  altogether,  so  these  believers  in  Ali  are 
held  in  greater  abhorrence,  by  his  other  disciples,  than 
either  Jews  or  Christians.  Our  anxiety  to  proceed  home- 
wards induced  us  to  decline  a  very  pressing  solicitation 
from  Suleiman,  to  visit  him  in  his  own  country ;  which  I 
now  much  regret,  as  this  tribe  is  described  as  having 
many  curious  customs  that  would  have  amply  repaid  our 
inquiries. 

Although  Suleiman  Khan  holds  a  despotic  swTay  over 
his  own  tribe,  it  has  not  exempted  him  from  the  casual- 
ties incidental  to  the  follower  of  a  Persian  court.  By 
Mohumud  Ali  Meerza  he  was  condemned  to  death  for  an 
unsuccessful  attack  on  a  fort,  and  only  pardoned  at  the 
intercession  of  Monsieur  de  Veaux.  By  order  of  the  ru- 
ling Prince  he  was  so  severely  bastinadoed  as  to  be  unable 
to  walk  for  six  weeks.  Thus,  with  the  vicissitudes  of  an 
Oriental  life,  this  mighty  despot  of  a  tribe  becomes  the 
unfortunate  victim  of  a  torture,  inflicted  at  the  will  or 
caprice  of  one  who,  the  moment  before,  was  the  social 
partner  of  his  revels. 

28 


222  QUARREL  OF  THE  FRENCH  OFFICERS, 


CHAPTER  XVIL 


Misunderstanding  between  Messrs.  Court  and  De  Veaux— -Conduct 
of  Senor  Oms — Reconciliation  between  our  Hosts — Moolah 
Ali's  opinion  of  Duelling; — Second  interview  with  the  Prince- 
Departure  from  Kermanshah— Unsuccessful  Expedition  into 
the  Mountains — Pic-nic-Breakfast— -We  take  leave  of  Messrs, 
Court  and  De  Veaux— -Be-si  toon — Bas-reliefs — Sahanah— -Con- 
cobar — Visit  the  Governor-— Temple  of  Diana. 

April  30 — May  1 . — We  were  now  all  ready  to  pro- 
ceed on  our  journey.  The  preparations  for  the  funeral 
of  the  late  Prince,  which  had  for  some  days  past  put  a 
stop  to  all  public  business,  had  prevented  our  procuring 
a  rukum,  or  order,  from  the  Prince,  to  proceed  unmo- 
lested, and  to  be  supplied  with  whatever  we  might  re- 
quire on  the  road ;  the  whole  population  between  Ker- 
manshah and  Hamadan  consisting,  equally  with  that 
through  which  we  had  passed,  of  hordes  of  robbers. 
With  the  assistance  of  Moolah  Ali,  we  obtained  this  do- 
cument ;  and  our  arrangements  being  completed,  we  in- 
tended to  have  resumed  our  journey  on  the  following 
morning,  when  a  circumstance  occurred  which  occasioned 
a  farther  delay. 

In  the  course  of  conversation  after  supper  this  evening, 
a  misunderstanding  took  place  between  our  hosts.  In  con- 
sequence of  this,  Monsieur  De  Veaux  left  the  house  at 
daylight  the  next  morning,  (May  1*)  and  at  eight  o'clock 


CONDUCT  OF  SENOR  OMS. 

a  challenge  had  been  offered  and  accepted  in  due  form  by 
the  parties,  who  agreed  to  meet  with  pistols  the  morning 
after  our  departure. 

As  we  had  been  present  at  the  whole  transaction,  we 
drew  up  a  letter,  declaring  it  our  opinion  that  nothing 
had  occurred  to  justify  the  proceeding.  We  were  at  a 
loss  where  to  send  our  despatch,  as  M.  De  Veaux,  con- 
jecturing our  interference,  had  concealed  his  abode  from 
us.  In  this  dilemma,  Senor  Oms,  under  pretence  of  be- 
coming a  mediator,  took  charge  of  our  letter :  which  he 
suppressed,  and  instead  of  attempting  a  reconciliation, 
did  every  thing  to  foment  the  quarrel  between  Monsieur 
De  Veaux  and  his  former  friend.  The  motives  for  this 
conduct  were  as  diabolical  as  they  were  dastardly — a  most 
inveterate  hatred  towards  both  parties,  which,  in  case  of 
either  falling,  would  have  been  gratified. 

Failing  in  his  attempt,  and  fearing  the  effect  of  our  en- 
deavours at  a  reconciliation,  he  tried  to  perpetrate  with 
his  own  hand,  what  he  had  hoped  would  have  been  done 
by  that  of  another.  In  the  evening,  as  we  were  seated 
at  dinner,  this  Spanish  ruffian,  attended  by  a  body  of 
soldiers,  rushed  into  the  room,  uttered  the  most  dreadful 
imprecations,  and  drawing  his  dagger,  motioned  his 
men  to  advance.  As  his  object  was  evidently  assassina- 
tion, we  deemed  it  high  time  to  interfere,  so,  making  a 
charge  towards  the  door,  we  succeeded  in  routing  the 
enemy,  many  of  whom  we  obliged  to  go  the  shortest  way 
down  stairs,  but,  owing  to  the  crowd  beneath,  without 
detriment  to  a  single  neck.  As  for  the  leader,  he  was 
content  to  walk  out  of  the  door,  particularly  as  we  inti- 
mated, that,  if  he  demurred,  the  window  would  be  the 
exit  we  should  select  for  him. 

May  2. — Early  in  the  morning,  we  went  to  Monsieur 
De  Veaux,  whom  we  found  encamped  two  miles  from  the 
town.     We  recapitulated  the  events  of  the  evening,  and 


221  .DUELLING  DISCOURAGED. 

at  last  succeeded  in  bringing  him  home  with  us,  and  ef- 
fecting a  reconciliation  between  himself  and  Monsieur 
Court ;  a  matter  of  some  difficulty,  as  each  had  been  suc- 
cessful in  more  than  one  fatal  rencontre,  and  had,  under 
Napoleon,  imbibed  those  absurd  prejudices  so  prevalent  in 
that  army,  and  which,  half  a  century  ago,  was  the  bane 
of  society  in  England  and  the  sister  kingdom ;  but  which 
have  now  happily  given  place  to  better  feelings,  and  truer 
notions  of  honour. 

The  pitch  to  which  duelling  had  at  one  time  been  car- 
ried, by  the  European  officers  in  the  service  of  the  late 
Prince  of  Kermanshah,  at  once  excited  his  astonishment 
and  alarm.  It  was  in  vain  that  he  threatened  the  survi- 
vor with  death,  or  tried  by  ridicule  to  do  away  with  a 
custom  which  threatened  to  leave  his  little  army  entirely 
without  officers. 

We  were  considerably  amused  by  the  observations  on 
the  subject  of  duelling  of  our  friend  Moolah  Ali,  whose 
notions  of  honour  somewhat  resembled  those  set  down  in 
Falstaff's  catechism. 

"How  foolish,"  said  he,  "is  it  for  a  man  who  wishes  to 
kill  his  enemy,  to  expose  his  own  life,  when  he  can  accom- 
plish his  purpose  with  so  much  greater  safety,  by  shooting 
at  him  from  from  behind  a  rock  VI 

Our  hosts  being  determined  to  represent  the  conduct 
of  Senor  Oms  to  the  Prince,  requested  us  to  accompany 
them,  to  give  evidence  if  it  should  be  necessary.  As  the 
French  officers  have  at  all  times  access  to  his  Highness, 
we  were  admitted  without  scruple  into  the  garden  of  the 
palace,  and  an  officer  of  the  household  went  to  inform  his 
Highness  of  our  wish  to  have  an  audience.  While  here, 
our  attention  was  arrested  by  hearing  some  one,  at  a  short 
distance,  singing,  or  rather  screaming  a  song  with  all  the 
power  of  his  lungs.  In  spite  of  the  drunken  hiccup, 
which  occasionally  interrupted  the  harmony,  we  thought 


INTERVIEW  WITH  THE  PRINCE.  225 

we  could  recognize  the  voice  of  the  Moolahi  Bashee, 
occupied,  when  last  we  heard  it,  in  chanting  the  re- 
quiem of  the  Prince's  father:  we  were  not  mistaken, 
his  Highness,  not  liking  the  rigours  of  the  solemn  fast 
of  Ramazan,  had  invited  a  few  friends  to  partake  of 
a  social  bowl,  and,  among  others,  this  holy  man,  who 
doubtless  procured  them  a  dispensation.  The  sudden  si- 
lence of  the  chorister  proved  to  us  that  our  arrival  had 
been  announced ;  and  as  we  were  admitted  to  the  presence, 
we  observed  him,  with  two  or  three  effeminate-looking 
boys,  stealing  down  one  of  the  avenues. 

The  Prince  was  standing  with  his  back  against  a  tree, 
and,  supported  by  a  stick,  was  trying  to  conceal  the  im- 
pression the  wine  had  made  on  his  brain.  Senor  Oms 
had  been  sent  for,  and  arrived  shortly  after.  There  were 
present  at  the  interview,  Assiz  Khan,  a  young  Coordish 
nobleman,  and  Hassan  Khan  Khoord,  the  blind  counsellor 
whom  we  had  seen  at  the  funeral.  Messieurs  Court  and 
De  Veaux  having  related  all  the  circumstances  of  the  case, 
Senor  Oms  attempted  a  justification,  but  was  interrupted 
by  Hassan  Khan  Khoord,  who  used  the  expression  Koor 
Khoordeed,  a  Persian  term  of  reproach,  for  which  the 
propriety  of  our  language  has  no  synonym.  During  this 
interview,  we  were  frequently  appealed  to,  respecting  the 
truth  of  the  French  officers'  statement,  and  just  as  we  con- 
cluded in  confirmation  of  what  they  had  said,  we  were 
somewhat  startled  at  the  Prince's  saying  to  us,  "  Eedn 
keh  Gofteed  deroogh  neest?" — Is  not  that  which  you 
have  told  me  a  lie? — a  harsh  sound  to  an  English  ear^ 
but  in  this  land  of  falsehood,  a  mere  idiomatical  phrase  of 
inquiry.  Our  conference  ended  with  Senors  Oms  being 
sent  to  prison,  and  the  Prince  resuming  those  enjoyments 
which  we  had  so  unseasonably  interrupted. 

May  3. — Our  negotiations  between  the  belligerent 
powers  having  been  brought  to  a  happy  termination,  w$ 


226  TAUK  BOSTAUX. 

had  nothing  now  to  detain  us  at  Kermanshah,  so,  having 
our  mules  laden,  we  bade  adieu  to  this  city,  and  once 
more  found  ourselves  on  the  road.  The  next  halting- 
place  was  Hatnadan,  four  days'  journey  hence,  and  the 
seat  of  government  of  Tamas  Meerza,  brother  to  the 
Prince  of  Kermanshah.  The  country  lying  between  these 
two  towns  is  the  most  mountainous  of  all  Irak.  It  is  called 
by  the  natives  II  Jebal  (the  mountainous,)  and  is  supposed 
to  be  the  Matiene  mentioned  by  Greek  and  Roman  au- 
thors. 

Wishing  to  give  another  day  to  the  examination  of  the 
sculptures  at  Tauk  Bostaun,  we  proceeded  thither  in 
company  with  our  friends  Messrs.  Court  and  De  Veaux, 
and  two  or  three  Persians.  In  the  evening,  we  all  dined 
together  on  the  banks  of  the  stream,  which  supplied  us 
plentifully  with  fish,  and  we  passed  the  time  in  high  glee 
till  a  late  hour;  when  the  excavation  furnished  us  with  a 
classical  night's  lodging :  and,  with  a  rock  for  a  pillow, 
we  slept  soundly  till  the  bright  light  of  the  sun  warned  us 
of  the  return  of  day. 

May  4. — We  devoted  this  day  to  an  unsuccessful  ex- 
pedition into  the  mountains,  having  been  deluded  into  a 
hope  of  finding  some  antiquities  by  the  account  given  us, 
that  four  miles  hence  was  a  cave  full  of  statues  and  inha- 
bited by  genii,  who  suffered  no  person  to  return  alive, 
who  dared  to  penetrate  their  enchanted  abode.  After 
an  hour's  painful  climbing  up  a  steep  and  rugged  moun- 
tain, we  came  to  the  mouth  of  the  dreaded  cavern,  which 
we  entered,  having  been  provided  with  lights.  It  was 
very  spacious,  and  composed  entirely  of  stalactites,  pro- 
duced by  infiltration,  which  would  exhibit  the  appear- 
ance of  statues,  when  viewed  from  without ;  but  fear  had 
so  long  predominated  over  curiosity,  that  no  native  had 
ever  dared  to  solve  the  mystery,  though  tradition  had 
long  given  a  celebrity  to  this  place, 


KINDNESS  FROM  EUROPEANS.  227 

A  good  pic-nic  breakfast  compensated  in  some  measure 
for  our  disappointment.  A  Persian,  who  was  of  the  par- 
ty, regardless  of  the  solemn  fast  ordained  by  his- creed,  or 
the  interdiction  of  wine,  ate  much,  and  drank  more ;  but 
we  had  seen  too  many  votaries  of  Bacchus  among  the 
Musselmans  to  be  any  longer  astonished  at  their  debauch- 
eries ;  being  now  fully  convinced  that  a  true  believer  may 
be  as  great  a  toper  as  any  Christian  infidel. 

May  5. — This  day's  march  was  to  Be-sitoon,  a  place  ce- 
lebrated for  ancient  sculptures,  and  supposed  to  be  the  Ba- 
gistana  of  Diodorus  Siculus  and  Isidorus  of  Charax. 
Having  sent  forward  our  servants  and  baggage  two  hours 
before  us,  we  stayed  to  breakfast  with  our  kind  European 
friends,  who  accompanied  us  half  way  on  our  day's  march. 
We  cannot  speak  in  too  high  terms  of  the  kindness  and 
hospitality  we  experienced  from  these  officers.  During 
our  stay  at  Kermanshah  every  wish  had  been  anticipated, 
and  for  the  time  we  remained  under  their  roof,  they 
seemed  to  have  forgotten  their  own  pursuits,  and  to  have 
studied  only  what  would  be  most  conducive  to  our  inte- 
rests and  comforts. 

We  traversed  the  base  of  the  mountain  for  eight  miles 
in  an  easterly  direction,  after  which  we  turned  to  the 
north.  Here  we  met  a  numerous  tribe  of  Illyauts  march- 
ing with  their  tents  and  mules :  they  had  just  arrived 
from  Arabia,  and  were  about  to  take  up  their  quarters  for 
the  summer  season  in  this  neighbourhood. 

Six  miles  from  Be-sitoon,  at  a  short  distance  on  our 
right,  we  saw  the  capitals  and  bases  of  some  pillars,  which 
may  be  well  worthy  the  attention  of  any  traveller  follow- 
ing the  same  track :  indeed  it  was  much  to  be  regretted 
that  our  time  did  not  permit  us  to  examine  them  more 
minutely,  as  we  might  have  ascertained  the  order  of  their 
architecture?  and  have  given  a  clue,  that  should  fix  some 


228  PILLARS  NEAR  BE-SITOON. 

era  to  the  antiquities  of  Be-sitoon,  which,  up  to  the  pre- 
sent moment,  are  matters  of  doubtful  speculation. 

Mr.  Macdonald  Kinneir  supposes  the  word  Be-sitoon 
to  be  derived  from  the  Persian  negative  particle  be,  and 
the  word  sitoon  signifying  no  pillars ;  but  it  is  possible 
that  the  pillars  seen  by  us,  might  have  given  the  name 
to  the  city,  as  Beest-sitoon,  signify  twenty  pillars :  in  the 
same  manner  the  ruins  of  Persepolis  are  called  Chehel- 
sitoon,  or  forty  pillars. 

We  reached  our  destination  at  five  o'clock  in  the  after- 
noon, passed  the  caravanserai  and  villages,  and  pitched 
our  tents  on  the  banks  of  a  rivulet,  at  the  base  of  the 
stupendous  rock  of  Be-sitoon,  which  forms  an  abrupt  ter- 
mination to  the  mountain  chain  bounding  the  valley  of 
Kermanshah  to  the  north. 

According  to  Diodorus  Siculus,  Semiramis,  in  her 
march  from  Babylon  to  Ecbatana,  the  capital  of  Media, 
halted  at  the  foot  of  a  high  mountain  called  Bagistan,* 
and  there  made  a  garden  twelve  furlongs  in  circumfe- 
rence, which  was  watered  by  a  large  fountain.  Be-sitoon 
will  answer  in  most  respects  to  this  description :  it  is  situ- 
ated in  the  direct  road  from  Babylon  to  Hamadan,  the 
supposed  site  of  Ecbatana ;  the  high  mountain  of  Be-si- 
toon will  correspond  with  Bagistan,  which  is  described 
as  seventeen  furlongs  in  height.  The  plain  is  well  capa- 
ble of  cultivation,  and  is  watered  by  a  stream  which  issues 
from  the  rock.  The  same  author  informs  us  that  a  piece 
was  cut  out  of  the  lower  part  of  the  rock,  where  Semi- 

*  Dio.  Sic.  Wess.  Lib.  i.  p.  126.  In  the  Byzantian  History, 
mention  is  made  of  the  city  as  well  as  of  the  mountain  of  Bagis- 
tana,  Becynrruix  iroXif  rt)$  Myfocti  xctt  of\*$  Becyttrrxiov.  ro  etittKov  Becyic" 
rang. 

Bagistan  is  derived  from  the  Persian  words  bag  and  stan,  sig- 
nifying a  region  of  gardens- 


BE-S1T00N,  229 

vamis  caused  to  be  sculptured  her  own  image,  surrounded 
by  a  hundred  of  her  guards.  An  immense  portion  of  the 
rock  has  evidently  been  scarped  out,  but,  after  the  most 
minute  examination,  we  are  of  opinion  that  no  figures  can 
ever  have  existed,  though  this  has  evidently  been  the  com- 
mencement of  some  great  undertaking. 

As  Diodorus  Siculus  did  not  see  the  sculpture  he  de- 
scribes, may  it  not  be  possible  that  it  was  never  farther 
advanced  than  the  scarped  portion  of  the  rock  before  us? 
Indeed,  scepticism  may  fairly  be  allowed  to  exist  on  any 
subject  concerning  Semiramis,  when  eight  authors,  who 
have  written  respecting  this  famous  queen,  differ  as  to  the 
time  in  which  she  lived,  upwards  of  fifteen  hundred 
years.  But,  putting  the  sculpture  of  Semiramis  out  of 
the  question,  the  works  at  Be-sitoon  bear  marks  of  the 
most  remote  antiquity. 

At  tfee  foot  of  the  mountain  is  an  extensive  burying- 
ground,  a  proof  of  the  former  existence  of  population  in 
this  neighbourhood ;  many  of  the  tomb-stones  are  of  white 
marble,  having  inscriptions  beautifully  cut  in  the  Syriac 
and  Cufic  characters.  We  found  among  them  the  frag- 
ment of  a  white  marble  pillar;  the  shaft  appears  to  have 
been  formed  of  one  stone ;  the  base  and  capital  were  in 
different  parts  of  the  burying-ground,  both  richly  sculp- 
tured. On  the  capital  is  the  figure  of  a  king,  in  rich 
robes;  and  I  would  willingly,  in  the  absence  of  her  hun- 
dred guards,  have  attributed  this  beautiful  pillar  to  Se- 
miramis, who,  according  to  Isidorus  of  Charax,  erected 
one  at  Bagistan ;  but  candour  obliges  me  to  add,  that  from 
the  resemblance  of  the  ornaments  to  those  on  the  Tauk 
Bostaun  sculptures,  I  cannot  fix  a  more  ancient  date  than 
the  Sassanian  era„ 

May  6. — We  devoted  this  day  to  the  examination  of 
the  sculptures,  commencing  from  the  west.  The  first 
object  that  arrested  our  attention  was  a  large  tablet,  with 

39 


230  GREEK  INSCRIPTION. 

an  Arabic  inscription,  on  the  face  of  the  rock,  at  about 
the  height  of  twenty  feet.  On  approaching  this  for  ex- 
amination, our  interest  was  strongly  excited  by  the  ap- 
pearance of  lines  in  Greek  characters,  forming  part  of  an 
inscription,  which  we  were  mortified  to  find  had  been 
nearly  obliterated  to  make  way  for  this  modern  record, 
relating  to  a  grant  of  land  to  the  neighbouring  caravanse- 
rai. In  the  imperfect  record  before  us,  we  thought  we 
could  decipher  the  name  of  a  person  called  Gotars,  or 
Gobars,  who  was  probably  a  Satrap,  as  that  word  twice 
occurs  in  the  imperfect  reliG  spared  to  us  by  the  Arab 
barbarian.  Who  this  Satrap  was,  whose  deeds  were 
thought  worthy  of  such  a  memorial,  it  is  difficult  to  de- 
termine. 

Quintus  Curtius  mentions  that  a  prefect  of  Persagada, 
by  name  Gobares,  delivered  up  that  city  to  Alexander 
the  Great.*  Had  Gobares  been  at  Bagistan,  he  might 
have  helped  us  out  in  the  application  of  the  inscription. 

As  a  second  conjecture  I  may  add,  that  among  the 
Kings  of  Persia  I  find  the  name  of  the  third  of  the  second 
dynasty  of  the  Parthian  race  was  Goters :  nothing  more 
is  recorded  of  him — stat  nominis  umbra. 

Below  the  inscription,  we  found  the  remains  of  a  group 
of  figures  in  low  relief:  after  repeated  examination  at  dif- 
ferent periods  of  the  day,  and  availing  ourselves  of  the 
most  favourable  lights,  we  discovered  (what  appears  to 
have  escaped  the  notice  of  preceding  travellers)  a  winged 
female  figure,  hovering  in  the  air,  in  the  act  of  crowning 
with  a  wreath  an  armed  horseman,  engaged  in  fierce 
contest  with  another  similarly  accoutred  and  mounted. 
Both  have  their  spears  in  rest,  on  the  point  of  attack. 
On  the  left,  some  animal  appears  to  be  running  away. 
The  figures  of  the  bas-relief  were  so  much  in  proportion^ 

*  Cyrus  Persagadam  urbem  condidcrat,  quam  Alexandre*  prae- 
fectus  ejus  Gobares  tradidit.  Q<  Curt.  Lib.  v.  cap.  6, 


ANCIENT  SCULPTURES.  231 

and  the  general  outline  was  so  good,  that,  without  the 
inscription,  I  should  have  attributed  the  work  to  Grecian 
artists. 

Proceeding  eastward,  we  saw  in  a  chasm  of  the  moun- 
tain, at  a  great  height,  another  bas-relief ;  which,  from 
its  general  resemblance  to  the  sculptures  of  Persepolis, 
may  be  considered  as  coeval  with  those  splendid  speci- 
mens of  ancient  workmanship.  This  our  guides  called 
the  Dervisham  (Dervishes,)  but  were  not  as  usual  prepared 
with  a  tradition  respecting  it :  not  so  a  certain  French 
traveller,  who  has  published  an  account  of  this  sculpture, 
and  gravely  asserts  it  to  represent  our  Saviour  and  the 
twelve  Apostles. 

It  consists  of  a  group  of  thirteen  figures,  appearing  to 
represent  two  attendants  presenting  ten  captives  to  their 
king,  who  is  seated  above  in  robes  of  state  :  one  prisoner 
is  lying  on  his  back  with  his  hands  raised,  in  the  act  of 
imploring  mercy,  while  a  female  figure,  who  stands  near, 
is  looking  with  a  most  piteous  aspect,  apparently  second- 
ing the  supplication  of  the  fallen  captive.  The  general 
has  his  right  foot  standing  on  the  prisoners  breast.  The 
remaining  nine  figures,  among  which  is  the  female,  have 
their  hands  tied  behind  their  backs,  and  they  are  fastened 
by  the  necks  to  each  other  with  a  rope.  The  figures,  at 
the  distance  from  whence  we  viewed  them,  appeared 
about  two  feet  high ;  the  captives  are  dressed  apparently 
in  the  costume  of  different  tribes,  and  the  last  in  the  string 
has  the  high  Coordish  cap.  On  each  side  of  the  group? 
and  immediately  below  it,  are  eight  large  compartments, 
covered  with  writing  in  the  Babylonian  character,  which 
proves,  beyond  the  slightest  shadow  of  a  doubt,  their  an- 
tiquity. Sir  Robert  Porter  thinks  that  this  bas-relief  al- 
ludes to  the  Babylonish  captivity.  But  for  the  female 
captive,  I  should  be  of  the  same  opinion.  In  many  par- 
ticulars, the  Scripture  account  of  Esther  pleading  before 


232  SAHANAH. 

Ahasuerus,  in  behalf  of  her  Jewish  brethren,  is  strongly 
illustrated  in  this  sculpture. 

We  started  for  Sahanah,  a  distance  of  sixteen  miles,  at 
eight  o'clock  in  the  evening.  A  quarter  of  a  mile  from  Be- 
sitoon,  on  our  left  hand,  we  saw,  by  the  light  of  the  moon, 
some  mounds  which  we  were  told  had  been  a  field  forti- 
fication thrown  up  by  Nadir  Shah :  the  works  appeared 
to  be  extensive,  but  we  were  too  full  of  ancient  relics  to 
interest  ourselves  in  the  wrorks  of  this  modern  conqueror. 

The  road  led  through  a  fertile  and  well  irrigated  val- 
ley, flooded  in  many  parts  from  the  overflowings  of  the 
water- courses.  An  hour  after  midnight  we  reached  our 
destination ;  and  not  liking  the  wretched  appearance  of 
the  caravanserai,  encamped  outside  the  walls  of  the  town. 

Sahanah  is  situate  at  the  base  of  one  of  the  lofty  ranges 
of  mountains.  As  in  most  Persian  towns,  its  houses  are 
in  a  dilapidated  state.  It  is  somewhat  larger  than  the 
generality  of  those  through  which  we  have  passed;  and 
the  surrounding  gardens  give  an  agreeable  appearance, 
which  does  not  correspond  with  the  actual  state  of  the 
place. 

Curiosity  brought  numbers  of  the  inhabitants  round  us 
this  morning.  They  were  inoffensive,  and  seated  them- 
selves in  picturesque  groups  in  the  neighbourhood  of  the 
tents.  Like  the  natives  of  all  this  country,  they  are  pro- 
fessional robbers. 

We  commenced  our  march  to  Concovar,  another  six- 
teen mile  stage,  at  half  past  three  in  the  afternoon  ;  hav- 
ing been  induced  to  travel  by  daylight,  at  the  suggestion 
of  the  French  officers,  who  had  advised  us  to  reach  a 
narrow  defile  in  the  mountains  before  dark,  as  it  was  a 
place  where  robbers  were  in  the  habit  of  issuing  forth 
and  attacking  the  caravans.  We  continued  for  two  hours 
traversing  a  spacious  plain,  in  a  S.  E.  direction.  This 
brought  us  to  the  ascent  of  a  steep  and  stony  mountain, 


CONGOVAR. THE  GOVERNOR. 

At  six  o'clock,  we  passed  the  narrow  defile  in  the  moun- 
tains, without  an  adventure.  To  judge  from  the  appear- 
ances of  the  pass,  it  is  well  adapted  for  the  purposes  to 
which  robbers  appropriate  it. 

After  descending  for  an  hour,  we  entered  a  well-culti- 
vated valley ;  and,  at  ten,  arrived  at  the  town  of  Conco- 
var.  By  the  imperfect  light  of  the  moon,  we  observed 
the  remains  of  a  splendid  temple,  supposed  to  have  been 
dedicated  to  Diana.  Our  chief  muleteer,  not  liking  the 
trouble  of  unpacking  the  tents,  assured  us  the  caravanse- 
rais were  very  comfortable ;  but,  as  our  ideas  of  comfort 
differed  materially  from  his,  we  fixed  upon  a  field  near 
the  Governor's  house  for  our  encampment.  We  had 
scarcely  begun  to  unload  our  mules,  when  we  received  a 
peremptory  order  from  the  Governor  to  go  into  the  town, 
on  account  of  the  robbers ;  though  I  know  not  whether 
his  command  proceeded  from  the  fear  that  we  were  of  the 
fraternity,  or  that  he  was  anxious  for  our  safety.  In  this 
dilemma  we  produced  the  Prince's  rukum,  and,  instead 
of  being  obliged  to  comply  with  the  injunction,  we  were 
furnished  by  the  Governor  with  a  guard  of  ten  men. 

We  had  intended  to  have  resumed  our  journey  this  af- 
ternoon, but  Baba  Khan,  the  Governor,  sent  his  Mehmaun- 
daur  to  say  that  he  would  not  allow  us  to  travel,  except  by 
day,  as  numerous  hordes  of  banditti  infested  the  road  we 
were  to  pass,  and  that,  in  compliance  with  the  Prince's 
rukum,  he  was  obliged  to  provide  for  our  safety,  whether 
we  liked  or  not.  After  breakfast  we  called  upon  this  per- 
sonage :  he  was  attended  by  a  numerous  suit,  dressed,  for 
the  most  part,  in  the  Persian  costume ;  though  we  observed 
one  or  two  young  men  whose  turbans  showed  they  were 
Turks,  detained  probably  as  pledges  for  the  good  beha- 
viour of  some  of  their  relations,  who,  like  the  hostages  at 
Kermanshah,  may  have  sought  the  precarious  protection 
of  Persia  from  the  persecution  of  their  own  tyrants. 


234  TEMPLE  OF  DIANA. 

In  the  interview  with  the  Governor,  we  had  no  reason 
to  be  flattered  with  the  cordiality  of  our  reception.  After 
coldly  bidding  us  welcome,  a  silence  of  some  minutes 
elapsed,  unbroken  by  his  attendants ;  he  then  stammered 
out  some  common-place  compliment,  and  fell  to  muttering 
to  himself  a  string  of  prayers,  it  being  deemed  an  act 
highly  meritorious-  for  a  Mussulman  to  invoke  the  deity 
in  the  presence  of  infidels.  We  had  neither  pipes  nor 
coffee,  on  account  of  the  Ramazan ;  and  we  were  not 
sorry  to  shorten  our  visit,  after  obtaining  a  promise  that 
a  person  should  be  sent  with  us  to  show  us  the  temple, 
and  to  protect  us  from  insult;  but  as  this  man  never 
came,  we  set  out  accompanied  by  two  of  our  own  ser- 
vants. 

This  temple  is  of  the  Doric  order  of  architecture,  com- 
prising a  square  of  two  hundred  and  fifty  paces.  To  the 
West,  the  bases  of  ten,  and  a  portion  of  the  shafts  of  eight 
pillars  remain  standing ;  these  are  from  six  to  seven  feet 
high :  the  pillars  measure  from  four  feet  eight  to  four 
feet  nine  inches  in  diameter,  and  fourteen  feet  eleven 
inches  in  circumference ;  the  basement  is  formed  of  large 
blocks  from  six  to  nine  feet  in  length.  The  whole  build- 
ing is  of  greyish  white  veined  marble ;  huge  fragments  of 
pillars  lay  scattered  in  every  direction,  and  the  stones 
seem  marked  as  if  to  prevent  their  being  displaced.  The 
natives,  who  attribute  this  temple  to  the  work  of  Genii, 
say  that  it  had  once  four  hundred  pillars;  but  they  have 
no  tradition  that  could  lead  to  its  history ;  however,  its 
name  Concovar,  or,  as  it  might  be  pronounced  with  equal 
propriety,  Concobar,*  is  conclusive  evidence,  that  here 

is  the  site  of  the  ancient  town  of  that  name,  mentioned  by 

«*» 
*  The  b  and  v  in  Persian,  are  constantly  used  for  each  other: 
one  instance  will  suffice — the  plural  of  the  word  na-eeb,  a  viceroy, 
is  equally  pronounced  nu-vaub,  and  nu-baub,  or,  according  to  our 
pronunciation,  nabob. 


ILL-TREATED  BY  THE  POPULACE.  235 

isidorus  of  Charax,  and  that  these  are  the  ruins  of  the  ce- 
lebrated temple  sacred  to  Diana. 

While  we  were  taking  the  dimensions  of  the  temple,  a 
crowd  of  four  or  five  hundred  people  had  collected,  and 
began  hooting  us ;  calling  us  dogs,  shebres,  infidels,  and 
many  untranslateable  epithets  of  abuse,  in  which  their 
language  is  very  copious.  Not  content  with  this,  they 
pelted  us  with  stones,  and  showed  every  mark  of  hos- 
tility. Our  Turkish  attendants,  being  both  dressed  in 
the  garb  of  their  country,  and  consequently  equal  objects 
of  hatred  with  ourselves,  came  in  for  a  share  of  the  attack. 
These,  not  so  patient  as  we  were,  rushed  in  amongst  the 
crowd,  and  used  their  large  sticks,  with  a  rancour  which 
a  religious  difference  of  opinion  unfortunately  but  too 
often  generates  for  ourselves;  we  continued  our  measure- 
ments, though  the  counting  paces  was  occasionally  inter- 
rupted by  fragments  of  the  temple  being  unceremoniously 
rolled  at  our  feet.  On  returning  to  our  tents,  we  were 
followed  by  the  crowd,  now  considerably  increased;  when 
one  of  the  Governor's  people  came  forward,  and  called 
out  to  them  to  disperse, — an  order  which  was  immedi- 
ately obeyed  ;  and  a  sudden  silence  succeeded  to  the  un- 
pleasant discord  with  which  we  had  been  regaled  for  the 
last  hour.  As  all  our  annoyances  had  arisen  from  the  Go- 
vernor's not  having  sent  the  person  he  promised,  we  inti- 
mated to  him  that  we  should  make  a  representation  of  his 
conduct  to  the  King,  who  he  well  knew  would  have  been 
happy  for  a  pretext  to  extort  money.  This  message 
brought  his  Mehmaundaur,  with  a  submissive  apology; 
so  we  sent  him  some  tea,  for  which  he  had  begged,  as  an 
earnest  of  our  forgiveness,  and  here  the  matter  ended : 
we  were  assured,  however,  that  the  fear  of  injuring  per- 
sons travelling  with  the  Prince's  milium,  alone  prevented 
the  inhabitants  from  assassinating  the  whole  party. 

Concovar  is  the  frontier  town  of  the  tribe,  and  forms  a 


COXCOVAR. 

kind  of  head-quarters  to  one  of  the  most  desperate  gangs 
which  infest  these  mountains ;  so,  all  things  considered, 
we  have  reason  to  congratulate  ourselves  on  having  got  so 
well  out  of  the  adventure. 

May  9. — After  all  our  troubles  in  the  inhospitable 
neighbourhood  of  Concovar,  we  were  not  sorry  to  quit 
the  sulky  Governor  and  his  riotous  adherents ;  but,  as 
every  one  here  seemed  determined  to  thwart  us,  we  were 
delayed  an  hour  by  the  impertinence  of  the  master  of  the 
caravanserai,  who  refused  to  let  our  mules  go  till  we  sent 
him  a  present.  We  once  more  sent  to  the  Governor,  and 
begged  he  would  send  one  of  his  attendants  with  our  ser- 
vants, and  cause  the  master  of  the  caravanserai  to  be 
brought  before  us  and  bastinadoed  in  our  presence ;  but 
this  fellow  no  sooner  perceived  the  Governor's  servant, 
than,  as  many  a  man  has  done  before  him,  off  he  scam- 
pered, to  escape  the  fangs  of  justice. 


SADAWAR. 


CHAPTER  XVIII. 


Sadawar — Our  Host  and  his  two  Wives — Hamadan— A  Chupper, 
or  Courier — Hajee  Abbas,  the  Prince's  Mehmaundaur — Dis- 
pensation from  the  Fast— Ancient  Inscription — El  wund— Morn- 
ing Visiters — The  Prince's  Physician— His  Eulogium  on  Sir 
John  Malcolm— The  Rabbi  of  the  Jews — Chief  of  the  Armeni- 
ans—A Persian  in  pursuit  of  the  Philosopher's  Stone — High 
respect  for  the  English  Character. 

At  seven  in  the  morning  we  commenced  our  march  to 
Sadawar.  We  first  ascended  a  stony  pass,  which  led  into 
an  extensive  plain  of  an  oval  form  to  the  North.  We 
then  passed  through  one  of  the  numerous  villages  which 
lie  scattered  over  the  valley ;  and  three  hours  from  the 
pass  in  the  mountains,  reached  the  village  of  Sadawar, 
seated  at  the  hase  of  the  Elwund  mountain,  which  forms 
the  northern  boundary  of  the  valley.  This  village,  or 
rather  town,  contains  four  hundred  houses,  and  has  a  go- 
vernor appointed  by  the  King.  While  looking  at  the 
Serai,  which  we  found  to  be  very  inconvenient,  we  ac- 
cepted the  offer  of  one  of  the  inhabitants  to  take  up  our 
quarters  with  him,  and  took  possession  of  the  verandah 
of  his  house.  Our  new  host  was  a  man  about  sixty  years 
of  age  :  he  had  two  wives — one  a  comely  woman  of 
eighteen  years  of  age,  and  the  other  ten ;  they  looked 
cheerful  and  contented,  and,  if  we  may  judge  from  the 
manner  in  which  they  performed  their  domestic  duties, 

30 


238  MOUNT  ELWUND. 

seemed  not  to  regard  the  disparity  of  years  between  them- 
selves and  their  joint  husband. 

May  10. — We  set  out  this  morning  at  six  for  Hamadan, 
having  a  high  mountain  to  cross,  and  a  long  march  before 
us.  In  three  quarters  of  an  hour  we  reached  the  base  of 
the  Elwund,  the  Mount  Orontes  of  Diodorus  Siculus. 
The  ascent,  which  is  very  steep  and  circuitous,  occupied 
an  hour,  and  proved  very  distressing  to  our  cattle;  large 
masses  of  snow  lay  in  ravines  near  the  top  in  every  di- 
rection, over  which  the  wind  blew  painfully  cold.  The 
western  face  of  the  mountain  was  covered  with  aromatic 
shrubs,  which  wafted  a  delightful  fragrance  through  the 
air.  The  descent  on  the  eastern  side  is  gradual,  but  the 
road  is  much  broken  by  streams  of  wTater  supplied  by  the 
melting  of  the  snow.  Near  the  base  of  the  mountain  we 
passed  a  caravanserai :  the  centre  was  roofed  in  at  the 
top,  different  from  these  buildings  in  general,  and  a  very 
necessary  protection  against  the  severe  cold  in  this  moun- 
tainous region  during  the  winter  season.  Bands  of  rob- 
bers have  at  different  times  occupied  the  building,  and 
converted  into  a  place  of  molestation  to  the  traveller  what 
had  been  built  for  his  protection.  We  passed  a  fountain 
at  the  bottom  of  the  pass,  which  the  muleteer  informed 
us  was  a  common  post  for  robbers  to  waylay  passengers ; 
they  sometimes  collected  together  to  the  number  of  thirty 
or  forty,  and  laid  the  largest  caravans  under  contribution. 
We  had  now  been  long  accustomed  to  be  in  a  state  of  rea- 
diness for  attack,  and  our  little  band  preserved  as  good 
an  order  of  march  as  the  nature  of  its  force  admitted ; 
though  we  had  occasion  to  regret  the  loss  of  our  former 
intelligent  muleteer,  who,  when  any  danger  was  to  be 
apprehended,  evinced  a  foresight  and  circumspection  that 
in  a  great  measure  relieved  us  from  the  trouble  of  caution 
on  our  own  part.  At  present,  our  attention  was  constantly 


ANCIENT  TOMBSTONES.  239 

employed  to  prevent  the  muleteer  from  allowing  the  cattle 
to  stray. 

The  whole  mountain  to  the  summit  was  clothed  with 
rich  verdure,  chiefly  aromatic  herbs  of  great  variety,  to 
gather  which,  people  come  from  all  quarters,  and  even 
from  India.  We  met  here  two  natives  of  that  country, 
who  had  travelled  thus  far  to  cull  the  simples,  which  they 
apply  to  medical  purposes. 

After  descending  the  mountain,  we  traversed  along  its 
base  in  a  S.  E.  direction,  crossing  numerous  rills,  the  wa- 
ters of  which  assist  in  irrigating  the  fruitful  valley  of  Ha- 
madan.  Immediately  on  quitting  the  precipices  of  the 
mountain,  we  entered  upon  well-cultivated  land,  which 
extended  to  the  city.  Two  miles  from  Hamadan,  we 
passed  a  considerable  stream  of  water,  by  a  neat  stone 
bridge.  Near  it  were  many  marble  tombstones,  elegantly 
sculptured  in  flowers  and  inscriptions  in  the  Cufic  and 
Arabic  characters.  Hence  the  road  led  through  gardens 
surrounded  by  walls,  extending  to  the  town.  We  had 
sent  a  servant  in  advance  with  the  rukum  to  the  Vizier, 
and  made  the  same  request  as  on  entering  Kermanshah — 
to  be  allowed  to  occupy  a  garden  or  empty  house  within 
the  walls  of  the  town.  Awaiting  his  return,  we  entered 
a  garden  by  the  road-side.  Numbers  of  people  were  at 
work  in  the  different  fields  around  us,  chiefly  employed 
in  manuring  and  dressing  the  vine.  After  remaining  a 
considerable  time,  we  became  impatient,  and  proceeded 
onwards. 

Fragments  of  ancient  buildings  met  our  view  as  we  en- 
tered upon  the  site  of  the  once  renowned  capital  of  Me- 
dia ;  but  we  felt  too  much  fatigued,  from  a  long  march  of 
eleven  hours,  the  greater  part  of  the  time  under  the  in- 
fluence of  a  burning  sun,  to  bestow  much  attention  on  an- 
tiquities. As  our  servant  had  taken  a  different  direction 
from  that  by  which  we  entered,  we  had  to  wander  about 


240  HAMADAN.— -THE  MEHMAUN  KHONEH. 

for  a  considerable  time  without  any  person  to  direct 
us,  and  were  at  the  same  time  obliged  to  encounter  the 
impertinent  scrutiny  of  nearly  the  whole  population, 
whom  curiosity  had  gathered  in  crowds  around  us.  Our 
servant  at  length  returned ;  and  from  him  we  learned  that, 
instead  of  an  empty  house,  Tamas  Meerza,  the  Prince  of 
Hamadan,  had  ordered  his  Vizier  to  have  the  Mehmaim 
Khoneh  prepared  for  our  reception,  and  had  desired  that 
his  Mehmaundaur,  Hajee  Abbas,  should  wait  upon  us,  to 
see  that  we  were  supplied  with  whatever  we  might  re- 
quire, his  Highness  wishing  that  we  should  be  considered 
as  his  guests  during  our  stay. 

Our  new  quarters  are  comprised  in  a  building  within  a 
large  enclosed  space,  protected  by  a  square  wall,  which  is 
flanked  at  each  angle  by  protruding  bastions ;  the  interior 
of  the  dwelling  is  fitted  up  with  nummuds  and  carpets, 
the  usual  articles  of  furniture  in  a  Persian  apartment.  I 
must  not  except  a  large  chafing-dish,  with  a  sparkling 
fire,  in  the  centre  of  the  room,  round  which  we  were  glad 
to  assemble ;  for  the  evening  was  as  cold  as  the  day  had 
been  hot,  and  reminded  us  that  this  elevated  spot  had 
been  selected,  from  the  coolness  of  the  atmosphere,  as  the 
summer  residence  of  the  Assyrian  Kings. 

Besides  our  own  party,  there  was  another  public  guest 
in  the  Mehmaun  Khoneh,  Mohumud  Hassan,  one  of  the 
King's  chuppers  or  messengers :  this  man  had  left  Ker- 
manshah  only  the  morning  before,  and  arrived  a  short 
time  before  us  at  this  place, — a  journey  of  one  hundred 
and  twenty  miles,  over  a  very  mountainous  country,  on 
one  horse.  As  there  are  no  relays,  or  post-houses,  in 
this  part  of  the  Persian  territories,  the  next  morning,  he 
mounted  on  the  same  animal,  and  resumed  his  journey  to 
Teheraun,  two  hundred  miles  distant,  expecting  to  reach 
it  on  the  second  day. 

Till  within  these  few  years,  the  only  modes  of  commu- 


OUR  SEPARATION.  ^41 

nication  between  the  capital  of  Persia  and  her  provinces, 
were  either  by  one  of  these  mounted  couriers,  or  by  cas- 
sids,  foot  messengers.  A  ch upper  seldom  changes  his 
horse  ;  generally  going  a  steady  amble  at  the  rate  of 
about  four  or  five  miles  an  hour :  some  have  been  known 
to  go  from  Teheraun  to  Bushire,  a  distance  of  seven  hun- 
dred miles,  in  the  space  of  ten  days.  Of  late,  a  post  es- 
tablishment has  been  formed  between  Teheraun  and  the 
frontier  of  Russia;  but,  like  many  other  royal  establish- 
ments, it  is  farmed  out  to  some  noblemen  of  the  court,  and 
has  consequently  been  subject  to  very  great  abuses. 

As  Messrs.  Hart  and  Lamb  wished  to  continue  their 
journey  to  Tabriz  by  the  mountains  of  Coordistan,  and  as 
Mr.  Hamilton  and  myself  were  anxious  to  visit  the  court 
of  Persia,  we  agreed  to  separate  at  this  place,  and  to  meet 
again  at  Tabriz,  whence  we  thought  to  resume  our  jour- 
ney together.  Leaving  Messrs.  Hart  and  Lamb  to  make 
their  own  arrangements,  Mr.  Hamilton  and  myself  availed 
ourselves  of  the  assistance  of  Mohumud  Hassan,  and  by 
him  despatched  a  letter  that  had  been  given  us  by  the 
Governor  of  Bombay  to  Major  Willock,  the  British 
charge-d'affaires,  together  with  a  few  lines  from  our- 
selves, informing  him  of  our  intended  visit  to  the  Capital. 

May  11. — It  was  our  intention  to  have  paid  our  respects 
to  the  Vizier,  but  he  was  unwell;  and  as  he  could  not  see 
us  himself,  he  sent  the  Mehmaundaur  Hajee  Abbas  with 
a  message,  welcoming  us  to  Hamadan,  in  the  name  of  the 
Prince.  We  found  Hajee  Abbas  an  agreeable  man,  and 
tolerably  well  versed  in  the  literature  of  his  country.  Of 
this  he  gave  us  abundant  proofs ;  for  we  could  scarcely 
ask  any  question,  to  which  we  did  not  receive  in  answrer 
a  quotation  of  some  dozen  lines  from  Hafiz  or  Sadi.  The 
Hajee  was  at  this  time  suffering  from  a  stomachic  com- 
plaint, brought  on  by  an  excessive  use  of  opium ;  this  he 
felt  the  more  severely  on  account  of  Ramazan,  which  did 


342  DISPENSATION  FROM  THE  FAST, 

not  permit  him  to  eat  or  drink  while  the  sun  was  above 
the  horizon.  To  soften  the  rigours  of  fasting,  he  had  been 
in  the  habit  of  spending  the  day  in  bed ;  but  he  hoped 
that  the  English  physician  would  give  him  instant  relief. 
Mr.  Lamb  answered,  that  a  disease  of  several  years'  stand- 
ing could  not  be  cured  in  a  day ;  and,  as  preliminary  to 
recovery,  he  must  not  fast  so  much.  This  advice  was  no 
sooner  given,  than  off  went  the  Hajee  to  order  something 
for  dinner ;  first  taking  the  precaution  to  call  his  servant  to 
witness  the  agreeable  order  given  by  the  Hakeem.  The 
success  of  Hajee  Abbas  in  eluding  the  law  of  the  Koran, 
brought  a  number  of  applicants  for  medical  advice,  appa- 
rently for  the  sole  purpose  of  procuring  a  similar  dispen- 
sation. 

We  made  an  excursion  to  the  Elwund  this  afternoon, 
to  see  an  inscription  on  the  face  of  the  mountain,  an  hour's 
ride  from  the  town,  in  a  southerly  direction,  along  a  road 
leading  to  Kermanshah.  The  inscription  is  cut  in  a  large 
mass  of  coarse  grained  granite,  on  the  face  of  the  hill  to 
the  west  of  the  road,  whence  it  is  visible.  There  are  two 
separate  tablets,  each  divided  into  three  compartments : 
one  containing  twenty,  and  the  other  twenty-one  lines  of 
writing,  in  the  simplest  form  of  the  Babylonian  character. 
From  being  in  a  sheltered  situation,  the  inscription  has 
undergone  little  change  from  the  weather :  but  we  did 
not  take  a  copy  of  it,  which  would  have  occupied  a  con- 
siderable time  ;  understanding  from  our  guides,  that  one 
had  been  already  made  by  Sir  John  Malcolm.  This  in- 
scription is  called  by  the  natives  Gunge  Namah,  the  his- 
tory of  the  treasure  which  they  say  is  buried  near  this 
spot ;  but  that  it  will  never  be  discovered  till  some  one 
shall  be  fortunate  enough  to  decipher  the  mysterious 
writing.  Then,  like  the  magic  "  Sesame,"  which  afford- 
ed entrance  to  the  den  of  the  Forty  Thieves,  this  moun- 
tain will  reveal  to  the  translator  its  hidden  treasures.    Our 


THE  PRINCE'S  PHYSICIAN.  243 

guides  informed  us,  that  there  were  some  remains  of  an 
ancient  structure  on  the  top  of  this  mountain,  built  by  a 
son  of  Solomon,  who,  they  say,  gave  name  to  the  moun- 
tain. 

The  Orontes  is  celebrated  over  all  the  East,  for  its  na- 
tural as  well  as  supernatural  properties.  Many  of  the 
natives  told  us  that  there  were  several  ores  of  silver  and 
gold  in  the  mountain,  but  that  no  one  would  take  the 
trouble  to  work  them,  as  the  produce  of  their  labours 
would  go  either  to  the  King,  or  to  the  Prince  Governor 
of  Hamadan.  Its  vegetable  productions  are,  as  I  said  be- 
fore, so  good,  that  people  from  every  country  come  to 
gather  them ;  and  the  belief  is  general  here,  that  there  is 
a  certain  grass  which  has  the  power  of  changing  every 
metal  into  gold ;  added  to  which,  this  mountain  is  sup- 
posed to  contain  that  long  sought  object  of  cupidity,  the 
philosopher's  stone. 

May  12. — All  our  morning  was  occupied  in  receiving 
visiters.  Amongst  them  was  the  Prince's  physician,  a  re- 
spectable-looking old  man,  of  very  amiable  manners,  pos- 
sessing a  degree  of  liberality  of  opinion  and  general  in- 
formation rarely  to  be  met  with  in  one  of  the  shallow 
pretenders  to  medicine  in  this  country.  His  visit  was 
principally  directed  to  Mr.  Lamb,  whose  fame  as  a  phy- 
sician had  travelled  before  him  to  this  place.  Our  visiter 
sat  with  us  nearly  the  whole  morning ;  but  he  was  so  in- 
telligent and  entertaining,  that  we  could  not  find  fault 
with  the  length  of  his  stay.  As  a  proof  of  his  modesty, 
he  acknowledged  the  superiority  of  European  medical 
knowledge,  by  consulting  Mr.  Lamb  on  the  state  of  his 
own  health,  and  by  receiving  medicine  from  him ;  but 
what  pleased  us  most  was  the  honourable  mention  he  made 
of  Sir  John  Malcolm,  with  whom  he  appears  to  have  been 
well  acquainted :  and  our  national  vanity  was  much  grati- 


244         A  JEWISH  RABBI. — ECBATANA. 

fied  by  the  admiration  he  professed  for  our  highly  gifted 
countryman. 

Perhaps  no  man  ever  employed  on  a  foreign  mission 
has  done  more  to  exalt  the  character  of  his  country  than 
has  this  distinguished  individual.  The  name  of  Malcolm 
is  familiar  to  every  one  in  the  countries  through  '  which 
he  has  travelled,  and  all  persons  express  the  same  un- 
bounded respect  for  his  talents  and  character ;  his  name, 
indeed,  secures  kindness  for  his  countrymen  throughout 
Persia. 

In  the  course  of  the  morning  a  Rabbi  of  the  Jews  came 
to  pay  us  a  visit.  From  him  we  heard  almost'  affecting 
detail  of  the  persecution  exercised  by  the  Mahometans 
towards  his  unhappy  people  :  the  whole  tenor  of  his  lan- 
guage was  that  of  bitter  lamentation :  and  he  spoke  of 
their  suffering  with  a  degree  of  freedom,  before  the  Mus- 
sulman doctor,  that  despair  only  could  have  dictated.  It 
is  not,  said  he,  of  the  oppression  of  one  tyrant  alone  that 
we  complain ;  for  we  are  subject  not  only  to  the  iron  grasp 
of  the  government,  but,  on  account  of  our  religious  tenets, 
are  exposed  to  the  avarice  and  cruelty  of  every  petty 
professor  of  authority. 

The  Rabbi  informed  us  that  the  number  of  his  people 
amounted  to  four  hundred  houses.  The  tombs  of  Mor- 
decai  and  Esther  are  cherished  here,  amidst  their  misery; 
and  the  expectation  of  the  promised  Messiah  is  the  hope 
that  enables  them  to  sustain  the  load  of  oppression,  which 
would  be  otherwise  insupportable. 

Every  circumstance  connected  with  the  state  of  the  Jews 
of  this  place  is  of  important  interest.  Ecbatana  is  men- 
tioned in  Scripture  as  one  of  the  cities  in  which  the  Jews 
were  placed  at  the  time  of  the  captivity,  and  it  is  possi- 
ble that  the  present  inhabitants  may  be  the  descendants  of 
the  tribe  who  occupied  the  city  under  the  Babylonian 
voke. 


THE  PHILOSOPHER'S  STONE.  245 

While  our  interest  was  strongly  excited  by  this  account 
of  a  scattered  remnant  of  Israel,  the  chief  of  the  Arme- 
nians came  with  an  offering  of  two  large  flasks  of  wine, 
which  this  Eastern  Christian  had  brought  to  ensure  a  fa- 
-vourable  reception  from  his  more  fortunate  brethren.  His 
detail  was  equally  affecting  with  that  of  the  Rabbi :  here 
the  unbelieving  Jew  and  Christian  dog  are  alike  subject 
to  the  oppression  of  the  intolerant  Mussulman. 

Our  next  visiter  was  a  native  of  rank,  who  had  expend* 
ed  the  greater  part  of  his  fortune  in  search  of  the  philo- 
sopher's stone  :  the  ill-success  he  had  hitherto  met  with, 
so  far  from  discouraging  him  in  his  pursuit,  seemed  only 
to  have  increased  his  ardour.  The  object  of  his  present 
visit  was  to  consult  Mr.  Lamb,  whom  he  believed  to  be 
in  possession  of  the  secret.  He  entertained  this  opinion, 
in  consequence  of  being  told  by  some  one  who  had  been 
with  us,  that  the  learned  Englishman  was  examining 
stones,  and  subjecting  them  to  a  chemical  process.  This 
was  true  enough ;  Mr.  Lamb,  being  a  geologist,  had  been 
so  employed,  and  the  stones  and  chemical  tests  lying  still 
upon  the  table  served  thoroughly  to  confirm  .our  visiter 
in  this  conviction,  which  no  assurances  we  could  at  first 
give  had  the  power  of  removing.  Finding  Mr.  Lamb 
what  he  deemed  obdurate  in  withholding  the  desired  in- 
formation, he  seized  a  bottle  of  acid,  with  which  he  had 
seen  him  produce  effervescence  with  limestone ;  and, 
thinking  this  phial  would  open  to  him  the  wished-for  trea- 
sure, implored  in  the  most  piteous  accent  that  it  might  be 
given  him. 

We  gathered  from  his  conversation,  that  he  had  been 
made  the  dupe  of  one  of  those  artful  imposters  common 
in  this  country,  who  go  about  preying  on  the  credulity 
and  weakness  of  those  whose  avarice  make  them  easy  vic- 
tims. We  informed  him  that  many  years  ago,  the  prin- 
cipal philosophers  of  Europe  had  been  engaged  in  this 

31 


216  POPULAR  PREJUDICES, 

visionary  pursuit,  which  had  now  for  upwards  of  a  cen- 
tury been  abandoned,  from  a  conviction  of  its  being  unat- 
tainable ;  and  we  strongly  advised  him,  on  the  next  visit 
he  received  from  his  philosopher,  to  satisfy  all  further 
demands  by  a  vigorous  application  of  the  bastinado.  Af~. 
ter  an  hour's  conversation  we  appeared  to  have  succeeded 
in  somewhat  staggering  his  belief,  and  his  countenance  on 
leaving  us  conveyed  the  impression  that  he  would  attend 
to  our  suggestion. 

The  belief,  universally  entertained  throughout  the  East, 
in  the  existence  of  hidden  treasures,  and  that  Europeans 
possess  the  knowledge  of  discovering  them,  renders  the 
inhabitants  exceedingly  jealous  of  our  exploring  ancient 
ruins,  as  they  cannot  comprehend  any  other  object  we 
can  have  in  the  pursuit  than  that  of  wishing  to  carry  off 
these  secret  stores  of  wealth.  Some  also  entertain  a  con- 
viction, that  there  are  magic  qualities  existing  in  ancient 
relics,  which  we  have  the  power  of  converting  to  use ; 
and  the  high  price  we  frequently  give  for  objects  of  this 
description  serves  to  countenance  their  opinion. 

May  13_ — We  had  a  curious  proof  this  morning  of  the 
respect  in  which  the  English  character  is  held  in  this 
country.  Mr.  Lamb,  wishing  to  draw  a  bill  upon  Bag- 
dad for  the  sum  of  one  hundred  tomauns,  for  our  common 
expenditure,  sent  a  servant  into  the  town  to  know  whether 
any  of  the  shraufs  (merchants)  would  be  willing  to  give 
him  money  for  it.  After  a  short  time,  a  miserable  half- 
starved  looking  wretch  made  his  appearance,  and  said  he 
should  be  willing  to  advance  us  any  sum  we  might  re- 
quire :  at  first  we  were  inclined  to  laugh  at  his  proposal, 
thinking,  from  his  appearance  and  garb,  that  he  was  more 
like  an  object  of  charity  than  a  lender  of  money.  He 
soon  undeceived  us;  for  disencumbering  himself  of  a  few 
of  his  rags,  he  unstrapped  from  his  body  a  black  leathern 
belt,  and  having  cut  it  open,  counted  out  the  hundred 


i 


PERSIAN    MONEY  -CHANGER.  247 

tomauns  in  gold.  Mr.  Lamb  wrote  a  draft,  in  English, 
upon  a  merchant  in  Bagdad,  which  this  man  took  in  lieu 
of  his  money,  contenting  himself  with  merely  asking  the 
name  of  the  merchant  on  whom  the  bill  was  drawn,  and 
declaring  himself  to  be  the  party  obliged ;  "foresaid  he, 
"  if  I  am  robbed,  I  shall  at  least  be  spared  this  piece  of 
paper."  While  we  were  wondering  both  at  his  ability 
to  serve  us,  and  his  confidence  in  our  honesty  (for  we 
could  easily  have  deceived  him,)  he  said  he  had  had  too 
many  proofs  of  English  probity  to  entertain  any  alarm  ou 
that  head.  "The  Feringhees  (Franks)  are  not  so  worthy 
of  being  trusted,  but  the  Ingreez  (Englishmen)  have  ne- 
ver been  known  to  deceive.'7 

This  circumstance  reflects  not  a  little  on  the  general 
good  conduct  of  our  countrymen  in  Persia ;  for  in  this,  as 
well  as  in  many  other  examples,  it  might  be  shown  that 
it  is  to  Englishmen  only  that  this  confidence  is  extended. 
Of  the  Feringhees,  as  it  is  their  custom  to  distinguish  other 
Europeans  from  us  the  Ingreez,  they  are  as  distrustful 
as  they  are  of  each  other.  Why  we  should  have  so  ex- 
cellent a  character,  I  know  not,  though  I  have  heard  it 
somewhat  oddly  accounted  for.  It  is  said,  that  some  time 
ago,  an  American  vessel,  in  a  trading  voyage  up  the  Red 
Sea,  bought  a  considerable  quantity  of  coffee,  and  paid 
for  it  in  Spanish  dollars  5  but  the  ship  had  not  long  sailed, 
when  it  was  discovered  that  the  money  was  counterfeit, 
and  the  merchants,  in  their  indignation,  vowed  they  would 
have  no  dealings  with  the  English,  for  (as  these  sailors 
spoke  our  language,)  such  they  supposed  them  to  be. 
Some  one  said  that  they  were  not  English,  but  Feringhee 
dooneaine  noo,  "  Franks  of  the  New  World,"  by  which 
name  the  Americans  are  designated  in  these  countries. 
As  the  mart  where  this  transaction  occurred,  was  on  the 
road  to  Mecca,  the  story  rapidly  spread,  and  numerous 
pilgrims,  on  their  return  home,  were  of  course  glad  to 


&48  AMERICAN  REPUTATION. — A  CAS  SID. 

promulgate  any  story  detrimental  to  the  Christian  charac- 
ter. It  is  not  to  be  supposed  that  our  countrymen  are 
always  immaculate;  but  now,  if  an  Englishman  misbe- 
haves, he  is  not  designated  a  native  of  England,  but  a 
"  Frank  of  the  New  World."  This  is  rather  hard  upon 
Brother  Jonathan,  who  is  to  the  full  as  honest  as  John 
Bull ;  but,  as  in  many  other  cases,  the  roguery  of  an  in- 
dividual is  oftentimes  felt  by  a  multitude. 

I  have,  in  a  preceding  page,  brought  a  chupper  or 
mounted  messenger  to  notice.  I  now  beg  to  introduce 
this  money-changer,  Ishmael  by  name,  as  a  Cassid,  or 
foot  messenger,  showing  the  other  channel  through  which 
the  inhabitants  of  one  city  communicate  with  another. 
Ishmael  was  at  this  time  on  his  way  from  Teheraun 
to  Bagdad,  having  business  to  transact  at  Hamadan  and 
Kermanshah,  with  probably  nearly  all  the  merchants  of 
these  cities. 


DEPARTURE  FOR  TEHERAUN.  249 


CHAPTER  XIX. 


Departure  for  Teheraun — The  Prince's  Arrival  prevented  by  the 
Astrologers— The  March  of  Alexander — Our  Persian  Costume 
—Advice  to  Travellers— Beebee  Rubaut— Fatiguing  March  to 
Kujur  Minar — Plain  of  Rubaut — Rubaut  Kereem — Bukhtiari 
Banditti — Arrival  at  Teheraun — Persian  Bath — Dyeing  beards 

— Nigauristoon— Persian  Flowers Rhages— Visit  Meerza 

Abool  Hassan  Khan — Kissera  Kajar— Levee  of  the  Ameen  ed 
Dowlah — The  Palace — Court  Dress — The  Prince  Governor  of 
Teheraun— -Presentation  to  the  King — Bastinado. 

Mu.  Hamilton  and  myself  had  been  waiting  for  some 
days  past  for  a  rukum  before  we  commenced  our  march 
to  Teheraun ;  but  the  Vizier  informed  us  that  it  could 
not  be  granted  till  the  return  of  Tamas  Meerza,  as  his 
royal  signet  was  necessary  to  the  document.  The  Prince's 
arrival  had  been  daily  expected,  and  our  patience  was 
nearly  exhausted,  when  we  heard  that  his  Highness  had 
been  on  the  eve  of  setting  out  for  Hamadan,  but  had  been 
prevented  by  the  astrologers  telling  him  that  some  mis- 
fortune would  befall  him,  if  he  returned  to  his  capital  till 
after  the  Ramazan.  This  intelligence  decided  our  move- 
ments. Being  too  much  pressed  for  time  to  be  influenced 
by  the  stars,  we  sat  out  at  an  early  hour  this  morning  for 
^io,  capital. 

According  to  Arrian,  Alexander  the  Great,  having 
failed  in  overtaking  Darius  at  Ecbatana,  continued  the 


250  HINTS  RESPECTING  DRESS. 

pursuit  to  Rhagae,,  at  which  city,  after  many  difficulties, 
he  arrived  on  the  eleventh  day.  If,  as  is  generally  be- 
lieved, Hamadan  is  the  site  of  Ecbatana,  we  must  have 
pursued  the  same,  or  a  parallel  route  with  Alexander ;  as 
the  ruins  of  Rhagse  are  only  three  miles  distant  from  Te- 
heraun. 

Having  now  had  some  experience  in  the  Eastern  mode 
of  travelling,  and  expedition  being  the  order  of  the  day, 
we  disburdened  ourselves  of  every  superfluous  article, 
and  sallied  forth,  equipped  in  light  marching  order. 

Leaving  our  tents  behind  us,  and  our  heavy  baggage 
with  our  friends,  who  were  to  travel  more  at  their  leisure 
to  Tabriz,  we  reserved  to  ourselves  six  changes  of  linen, 
and  our  full  uniforms.  Instead  of  a  number  of  mules, 
which  had  always  occupied  an  hour  on  every  day's  jour- 
ney in  the  lading,  wre  had  each  our  own  two  horses,  one 
for  riding,  and  the  other  for  baggage,  on  the  top  of  which 
a  servant  rode. 

Up  to  this  time  we  had  always  appeared  in  the  honour- 
able garb  of  British  soldiers,  of  which  we  were  sufficient- 
ly proud  not  to  wish  a  change ;  but,  to  avoid  a  recurrence 
of  such  an  adventure  as  that  at  Concobar,  we  thought  it 
expedient  to  adopt  the  Persian  dress :  not  as  a  disguise, 
but  because  we  thought  that  it  was  not  so  much  to  our- 
selves as  Europeans,  as  to  the  singularity  of  our  costume, 
that  the  impertinence  and  importunity  of  the  mob  had 
been  generally  directed. 

The  British  officers  at  Tabriz  advise  travellers  to  wear 
the  English  dress.  It  is  certainly  best  for  the  direct  road 
through  Persia,  where  it  is  known  and  respected ;  but 
the  dress  of  the  country  is  strongly  recommended  to  any 
one  pursuing  our  less  frequented  route. 

Our  head-dress  was  a  black  sheep-skin  cap,  pinched 
into  a  peak  behind,  and  fitting  the  head  rather  closely 
before.     A  pale  blue  gown,  which  extended  to  the  calf 


PERSIAN  COSTUME. THE  SAHARAUB.  251 

of  the  leg,  was  neatly  crimped,  and  decorated  with  innu- 
merable little  sugar-loaf  buttons  down  each  side  of  the 
chest,  and  from  the  elbow  to  the  wrist.  This  gown  was 
open  in  many  parts,  and  discovered  beneath  it,  what  I 
fear  must  be  called  a  petticoat,  ornamented  with  a  pine- 
apple pattern  on  a  bright  purple  ground ;  over  this  was 
bound  loosely  round  the  waist  a  scarlet  shawl.  A  capa- 
cious pair  of  silk  trowsers,  of  a  pale  pink,  covered  the 
lower  extremities.  It  is  hoped  that  scarlet  Hessian  boots, 
in  size  equal  to  those  in  which  Hogarth  has  drawn  Hudi- 
bras,  sabres  by  our  sides,  our  pistols  and  daggers  in  our 
girdles,  and  our  formidable  mustaches,  will  in  some  de- 
gree redeem  the  effeminacy  of  our  garb. 

After  quitting  the  town  we  traversed  the  fertile  valley 
of  Hamadan,  and  passed  over  a  low  mountain,  on  the  brow 
of  which  wild  flowers  of  every  hue  combined  their  fra- 
grance with  innumerable  aromatic  shrubs.  We  then 
came  into  a  spacious  plain,  and  followed  the  most  beaten 
track  till  the  road  diverged  into  several  branches.  Being 
without  a  guide,  we  took  the  path  which  appeared  to 
lead  to  a  large  town.  Here  we  thought  we  could  dis- 
tinctly see  the  trees,  the  domes  of  the  mosques,  and  the 
bastions  of  the  walls;  but  after  proceeding  in  the  same 
direction  for  nearly  three  miles,  it  vanished,  and  we  now 
discovered  that  we  had  been  led  astray  by  that  curious 
optical  delusion  so  common  in  the  East,  called  the  Saha- 
raub,  literally,  "  water  of  the  desert/'  We  were  the 
more  surprised  at  being  deceived  by  this  phenomenon,  as 
from  the  day  we  landed  we  had  been  daily  witnesses  to 
its  curious  properties. 

At  one  in  the  afternoon,  we  arrived  at  Beebee  Rubaut, 
a  small  untenanted  village.  We  had  intended,  after  a 
few  hours'  rest,  to  have  proceeded  onwards,  but  were 
dissuaded  by  one  of  the  King's  Shatirs  (footmen,)  who, 
with  three  other  servants,  were  proceeding  to  Teheraun 


252  PROGRESS  TO  KUJUR  MINAR. 

the  next  day.  As  not  one  of  our  party  had  ever  been 
this  road,  which  was  described  as  very  intricate,  we  put 
ourselves  under  the  convoy  of  these  men,  and  agreed  to 
accompany  them  the  next  morning. 

May  15. — This  stage,  which  could  not  have  been  less 
than  sixty  miles,  was  the  most  painful,  and  the  least  inte- 
resting, we  had  yet  made.  We  commenced  at  the  rising, 
and  finished  it  at  the  setting  of  the  sun,  having  had  the 
full  benefit  of  its  scorching  rays,  which  became  every  mo- 
ment more  intense  as  the  snow-capped  mountains  of  Ha- 
madan  receded  from  our  view.  Our  road  lay  either 
through  sterile  and  desolate  mountains,  or  stony  valleys 
formed  by  the  beds  of  torrents.  With  the  exception  of 
a  miserable  village  twelve  miles  from  Beebee  Rubaut, 
where  we  breakfasted,  we  did  not  see  a  single  building : 
not  a  traveller  passed  to  diversify  the  dull  uniformity  of 
the  scene ;  and  we  reached  Kujur  Minar,  our  destination, 
so  dispirited  and  feverish,  that  though  our  lodging  was 
good  and  our  dinner  tolerable,  we  could  scarcely  eat  or 
sleep. 

May  16. — After  a  few  hours  of  imperfect  rest,  we 
started  at  three  in  the  morning  for  the  village  of  Chum- 
murum,  distant  twenty  miles. 

For  the  first  six  hours  we  traversed  a  country  of  the 
same  appearance  as  that  of  yesterday :  at  nine  we  crossed 
a  fordable  river,  which  divides  the  districts  of  Hamadan 
and  Teheraun,  and  entered  upon  a  fruitful  and  well  cul- 
tivated valley,  the  banks  of  the  stream  being  strongly 
contrasted  with  that  we  had  just  quitted.  Except  in 
spots  where  extensive  crops  were  growing,  the  whole 
valley  looked  like  one  vast  meadow.  There  was  also  an 
appearance  of  extensive  population,  as  numerous  villages 
seemed  to  deck  the  plain :  but  this  in  Persia  is  an  "  opti- 
cal delusion,"  as  common  as  the  Saharaub  ;  for  on  our 
nearer  approach  we  found  they  were  the  ruins  of  de- 
serted villages. 


JOURNEY  TO  ZERUN. — PLAIN  OF  RUBAUT.    253 

Leaning  our  backs  against  one  of  the  walls,  as  a  pro- 
tection against  the  heat  of  the  sun,  we  made  a  hasty- 
breakfast,  and,  resuming  our  march,  reached  Chummu- 
rum  at  mid-day. 

May  17.—  At  three  A.  M.  we  started  for  Zerun,  a 
long  march  of  fifty- two  miles.  The  morning  was  very 
dark ;  and  after  wandering  an  hour,  we  had  the  bad  for- 
tune to  lose  our  way :  chance  directed  us  to  a  village, 
where  we  procured  a  guide,  and  were  led  through  a  nar- 
row pass  of  the  mountains  into  the  direct  road. 

The  pasture  with  which  these  wild  mountains  are 
somewhat  sparingly  covered,  afforded  subsistence  to 
numbers  of  the  King's  camels,  on  the  ungraceful  forms  of 
which,  in  the  absence  of  all  other  living  creatures,  we 
gazed  with  satisfaction. 

We  continued  winding  through  successive  ranges  of  hills 
till  we  came  on  to  the  spacious  plain  of  Rubaut.  It  appears 
to  be  about  forty  miles  in  length,  and  twelve  or  fourteen 
in  breadth.  Hence  we  could  discern  the  mountains  im- 
mediately behind  Teheraun. 

Half  way  across  this  plain  stood  the  village  of  Zerun, 
where  a  small  narrow  apartment  was  allotted  for  our  ac- 
commodation. On  the  ceiling  of  our  new  dwelling  was 
a  circular  hole,  which,  though  intended  only  for  the  ad- 
mission of  light  and  air,  did  not  exempt  rain :  of  this  we 
became  aware  in  the  middle  of  the  night,  being  awoke  by 
a  smart  shower,  which,  before  we  could  make  our  escape, 
had  completely  drenched  us  to  the  skin. 

May  18. — We  resumed  our  march  over  the  plain  at 
five  in  the  morning ;  and  saw  at  some  distance  a  small 
palace,  to  which  the  King  goes  every  winter  for  the  plea- 
sures of  the  chase :  here  antelopes  and  various  other  kinds 
of  game,  are  said  to  be  very  abundant. 

We  halted  half  an  hour  on  the  plain  to  enable  our  Per- 
sian fellow-travellers  to  eat  their  breakfast;  but  as  no 

32 


^J4  BUKHTIARI  BANDITTI. 

water  was  procurable,  we  deferred  our  own  meal  till  we 
arrived  at  our  stage :  indeed,  we  acted  thus  on  the  whole 
march  from  Hamadan  to  Teheraun. 

The  scarcity  of  water  here  brings  to  mind  the  anecdote 
related  by  Plutarch  of  Alexander  the  Great,  while  on  the 
same  road : — Being  one  day  overcome  with  heat  and  thirst, 
he  met  some  Macedonians  carrying  water  on  mules  in 
sheep-skins  for  their  children.  These  men,  on  witness- 
ing the  exhausted  appearance  of  the  king,  filled  a  helmet 
with  water,  and  brought  it  to  him  to  drink ;  but  he,  ob- 
serving the  eager  looks  with  which  his  soldiers  regarded 
the  water,  returned  it  to  the  Macedonians,  and  by  this 
act  so  captivated  his  followers,  that  they  said  they  were 
neither  tired  nor  thirsty,  and  considered  themselves  im- 
mortal, whilst  they  had  such  a  man  for  a  king. 

Four  miles  from  Rubaut  Kereem,  we  passed  a  succession 
of  hillocks,  which  were  pointed  out  to  us  as  being  much 
infested  with  banditti  of  the  Bukhtiari  tribe.  We  arrived 
at  the  town  at  one  o'clock,  and,  being  now  only  twenty- 
four  miles  from  Teheraun,  despatched  a  villager  forward 
to  give  Major  Willock  notice  of  our  arrival. 

May  19. — An  hour  after  midnight  we  remounted  our 
horses,  being  anxious  to  conclude  this  wretched  journey. 
Six  miles  from  Rubaut  Kereem,  the  Shatir  pointed  out 
to  us  several  villages,  a  short  distance  from  the  road,  as 
being  entirely  inhabited  by  Bukhtiari  banditti ;  but  we 
saw  none  of  them,  nor,  indeed,  any  one  else  on  this  soli- 
tary road.  The  sun  rose  in  fiery  splendour  over  the 
mountains  of  Teheraun,  but  the  city  itself  is  in  so  low  a 
situation,  that  we  could  not  distinguish  it  till  we  were  not 
more  than  two  miles  distant.  Here  we  were  met  by  Ma- 
jor Willock  and  Dr.  Macneil,  who,  being  dressed  in  the 
English  fashion,  made  us  feel  ashamed  of  our  foreign  dis- 
guise. We  were  conducted  by  our  countrymen  to  the 
English   residency,    and   by   their  care  and   attentions 


11UMMAUM,  OR  BATH.  25i) 

soon    lost   the  unpleasant  recollection  of  our  miserable 
march. 

In  the  afternoon  we  went  to  the  Hummaum.  In  addi- 
tion to  the  usual  process  of  an  eastern  bath,  the  barber 
had  dyed  my  mustaches  before  I  was  aware  of  his  inten- 
tion. Generally  speaking,  there  are  two  sorts  of  dye 
used ;  they  are  made  up  in  the  form  of  a  paste ;  one  is 
henna,  the  other  indigo.  If  the  hair  is  dark,  the  henna 
is  first  put  on,  which  turns  the  hair  quite  red.  When 
dry  this  is  washed  off,  indigo  is  substituted,  and  a  jet 
black  is  soon  produced.  As  my  hair  was  light,  the  in- 
digo only  was  used.  This  being  the  first  time  of  wearing 
a  dye,  the  skin  became  slightly  affected,  but  it  soon  reco- 
vered. In  the  course  of  a  few  hours,  my  mustaches,  after 
undergoing  the  alarming  transitions  from  green  to  purple, 
settled  at  last  into  a  fine  auburn. 

We  employed  the  ten  days  of  our  stay  at  Teheraun  in 
visiting  every  thing  remarkable  in  and  about  the  city. 
On  the  21st,  Major  Willock  took  us  to  see  one  of  the 
King's  palaces,  called  Nigauristoon,  or  Garden  of  Pic- 
tures. It  is  an  oblong  enclosure,  containing  three  sum- 
mer-houses. In  the  uppermost  of  these,  at  the  top  of  the 
room,  are  painted  on  the  wall  fresco  portraits  of  the  King 
and  several  of  his  sons.  His  Majesty  is  seated  on  his 
throne,  and  the  princes  stand  beside  him.  The  sides  of 
the  apartment  are  decorated  with  the  figures  of  all  the 
ambassadors  that  have  at  different  periods  appeared  at 
the  Persian  court.  To  these  the  king  is  (with  a  poetic 
license,)  supposed  to  be  giving  audience  at  the  same  time. 
On  one  side  of  the  wall  this  motley  assemblage  is  headed 
by  the  three  English  ambassadors,  Sir  John  Malcolm,  Sir 
Gore  Ouseley,  and  Sir  Harford  Jones.  On  the  other,  for 
the  sake  of  uniformity,  there  are  three  French  ambassa- 
dors, though  only  one  ever  came  to  Persia.  The  Euro- 
pean portraits,  as  may  be  supposed,  are  complete  cari- 


256  PERSIAN  FLOWERS. 

catures,  but  in  the  delineation  of  Asiatic  dresses  and 
features,  the  artist  has  been  more  successful.  The  other 
summer-houses  are  hardly  worthy  of  notice :  though  newly 
erected,  they  have  the  usual  Persian  marks  of  dirt  and 
decay.  A  stream  of  water,  running  in  a  channel  of  ma- 
sonry, supplies  a  jet-d?eau  in  the  centre  building.  On 
each  side  of  the  garden  are  a  few  formal  rows  of  poplar  ; 
behind  them  are  some  cypress  and  some  fruit-trees. 
There  are  also  a  variety  of  shrubs,  some  flowers,  and  no 
scarcity  of  weeds.  It  is  let  by  the  King  for  two  hundred 
tomauns  a-year,  to  one  of  the  courtiers;  who  is  obliged  to 
keep  it  in  repair.  As  the  tenant  has  no  taste  either  for 
beauty  or  neatness,  he  sows  that  which  will  yield  him 
most  profit :  a  r.lover-stubble  marks  his  last  crop. 

Notwithstanding  their  poetic  admiration  of  flowers,  the 
Persians  treat  them  with  much  neglect;  still  there  are 
many  which  are  beautiful  and  well  worthy  of  notice.  I 
am  no  botanist,  so  I  must  content  myself  with  mentioning 
those  which  attracted  my  attention.  The  most  remarka- 
ble in  appearance  is  a  large  rose-tree,  called  the  Naste- 
raun:  it  grows  to  the  height  of  twenty  feet;  the  trunk 
is  nearly  two  feet  in  circumference ;  the  flower,  though 
larger,  resembles  the  English  hedge-rose,  and  has  five 
leaves ;  the  calix  is  in  the  form  of  a  bell.  The  leaf  of  the 
tree  is  small,  smooth,  and  shining.  The  branches  droop 
gracefully  to  the  ground,  and  the  flowers  are  so  abundant 
as  completely  to  conceal  the  stem  of  the  tree.  Numbers 
of  this  species  are  to  be  seen  in  every  garden  in  Tehe- 
raun. 

The  next  is  the  Durukhti  Ubrishoom,  a  species  of  Mi- 
mosa, resembling  the  Arborea  of  that  genus.  It  droops 
like  the  willow ;  the  flower  has  silky  fibres,  of  a  delicate 
pink  colour,  and  would  resemble  a  swansdown  puff,  tinged 
with  rouge.  It  sends  forth  a  most  fragrant  perfume,  and 
its  name,  "Durukhti  Ubrishoom/'  the  Silk-tree, — be- 


PERSIAN  FLOWERS. — CITY  OF  RHAGES.  257 

speaks  its  appearance.  This  flower  thrives  in  Teheraun 
in  the  open  air;  the  thermometer  ranging  between  16° 
and  110°,  Farenheit;  hut  it  does  not  succeed  so  well  at 
Tabriz,  where  the  temperature  is  colder  and  more  varia- 
ble. It  grows  wild  in  the  forests  bordering  on  the  Cas- 
pian Sea.  There  is  one  in  the  garden  of  the  Prince  Royal 
at  Tabriz,  and  another  in  possession  of  the  English  officers 
resident  there,  who  are  obliged  to  protect  it  from  the  win- 
ter coldo 

The  Zunzeed  is  also  a  species  of  willow.  The  leaves 
are  of  a  silvery  hue,  and  the  flowers,  which  are  of  a  deep 
scarlet,  send  forth  a  most  delicious  perfume.  When  in 
blossom,  the  Zunzeed  is  viewed  with  a  jealous  eye  by  the 
Persians,  from  the  belief  that  it  has  a  strong  tendency  to 
excite  the  passions  of  the  females.  The  Persian  who  was 
describing  the  curious  properties  of  this  tree,  told  me 
that  twelve  fursongs  north  of  Teheraun,  the  men  lock  up 
their  women  while  the  flower  is  in  blow. 

May  22. — Five  miles  south  of  Teheraun  are  the  ruins 
of  the  ancient  City  of  Rhages,  mentioned  in  the  book  of 
Tobit,  as  also  by  Arrian  and  Diodorus  Siculus.  To  this 
city  Alexander  came  in  pursuit  of  the  unfortunate  Darius, 
and  halted  here  five  days  previous  to  his  expedition  into 
Parthia. 

Rhages  continued  to  flourish  till  the  time  of  Jenghiz 
Khan,  whose  general  destroyed  it,  and  Teheraun,  the 
modern  capital,  arose  from  out  of  its  ruins.  It  has  met 
with  the  usual  fate  of  old  brick  buildings;  it  has  crum- 
bled into  dust,  and  a  few  shapeless  heaps  are  nearly  all 
the  memorials  of  this  once  populous  city.  I  should  except 
a  well-built  tower,  which  I  had  not  time  to  examine,  and 
the  commencement  of  a  bas-relief  cut  in  the  rock,  repre- 
senting two  warriors  in  the  act  of  combat. 

May  23.— -We  accompanied  Major  Willock  this  morn- 


258  MEEBZA  ABOOL  HASSAN  KHAN. 

ing  on  a  visit  to  Meerza  Abool  Hassan  Khan,  the  late 
Persian  Ambassador  to  the  English  Court.  This  gentle- 
man is  more  portly  than  he  was  in  London,  and  may  be 
said  to  have  grown  fat  on  the  pension  which  the  India 
Company  has  granted  him — for  what  services  the  Meerza 
probably  knows  as  little  as  any  one  else ;  for,  if  common 
report  be  true,  there  are  few  men  more  hostile  to  our  in- 
terests than  himself.  Notwithstanding  all  this,  he  is  a 
very  agreeable  companion,  and  received  us  with  much 
politeness. 

After  smoking  a  pipe  in  the  common  hall  of  audience, 
the  Meerza  conducted  us  into  one  of  the  rooms  of  his  ha- 
ram.  The  women  had  been  previously  warned  to  with- 
draw themselves ;  but  whether  by  accident  or  from  design, 
one  or  two  lingered  so  long  that  we  had  a  good  view  of 
their  faces.  They  wore  large  turbans,  and  one  of  them 
seemed  a  pretty  girl.  The  room  we  now  entered  partook 
of  the  European  and  Asiatic  styles.  The  walls  were  hung 
with  prints,  which,  for  the  honour  of  my  own  country,  I 
am  glad  to  say  were  not  English.  If  the  Meerza  speak 
true,  he  has  not  been  unsuccessful  with  the  English  la- 
dies; if  not,  their  civilities  to  him  have  been  shamefully 
misinterpreted. 

Our  next  visit  was  to  the  Kissera  Kajar,  the  Palace  of 
the  Kajar  or  Royal  Tribe  of  Persia.  It  stands  two  miles 
north-east  of  the  town.  When  viewed  from  a  distance, 
it  has  the  appearance  of  a  building  several  stories  high ; 
on  approaching  nearer,  it  proves  to  be  a  succession  of 
terraces,  built  on  the  slope  of  a  mountain.  It  is  intended 
for  a  summer  retreat,  and  is  traversed  in  all  directions  by 
streams  of  water,  which  render  it  cool  and  pleasant.  On 
the  fifth  terrace,  we  enter  upon  the  principal  part  of  the 
building:  here  are  several  pictures,  some  representing 
the  ancient  Kings  of  Persia,  and  all  executed  in  a  style 


VISIT  TO  THE  MINISTER.  25:* 

greatly  superior  to  any  other  specimens  of  the  art  I  saw 
in  this  country.  On  the  summit  of  the  palace  is  a  small, 
but  beautiful  chamber ;  the  windows  and  doors  are  inlaid 
with  ebony  and  ivory,  describing  Persian  characters :  there 
are  also  several  fine  samples  of  Mosaic  work,  and  some 
curious  enamel  paintings.  The  female  apartments  com- 
prise a  succession  of  small  chambers,  twelve  or  fourteen 
feet  square :  in  each  of  these  is  a  high  wooden  bedstead, 
occupying  nearly  the  whole  space,  and  said  to  contain  a 
family:  if  so,  the  ladies  of  the  royal  haram  must  be 
stowed  almost  as  close  as  negroes  on  board  a  slave-ship. 
The  walls  are  whitewashed,  but  in  a  dirty  state  :  they  are 
without  decoration,  if  I  except  the  poetical  effusions  of 
their  fair  inmates,  whose  writings  may  be  traced  in  every 
apartment. 

At  ten  at  night,  Major  Willock,  Dr.  Macneil,  Meerza 
Abool  Hassan  Khan,  Mr.  Hamilton,  and  myself,  attended 
the  public  levee  of  the  Ameen  ed  Dowlah,  Lord  Trea- 
surer, who  performed  the  duties  of  Prince  Vizier,  that 
office  being  vacant.  The  reception  room  was  spacious 
and  unadorned.  The  minister,  who  was  seated  in  a  cor- 
ner, rose  to  bid  us  welcome ;  a  compliment  he  does  not 
pay  to  his  own  countrymen.  The  visiters  all  sa,fce  with 
their  backs  to  the  wall :  four  or  five  thick  candles  in  low 
tin  candlesticks  stood  in  the  middle  of  the  room  :  several 
Meerzas  (Secretaries)  were  seated  in  a  semicircle  oppo- 
site the  minister,  and  upon  papers  held  in  the  palm  of  the 
left  hand  were  writing  from  his  dictation.  The  company 
in  general  had  no  particular  business;  those  who  had, 
went  up  by  turns  to  the  minister,  made  their  statement 
in  a  whisper,  and  retired  with  a  low  bow.  Servants  came 
in  at  intervals  with  culaoons,  which  were  rapidly  passed 
from  mouth  to  mouth.  Every  person  in  this  assembly 
sate  according  to  his  rank.     On  our  arriving,  a  place  was 


260  DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  PALACE. 

immediately  given  to  us  near  the  minister :  in  other 
parts  of  the  room  such  a  concession  was  not  so  willingly 
made,  and  an  amusing  struggle  for  precedence  ensued  at 
the  arrival  of  every  new  comer,  who  was  excluded  from 
a  seat  till  the  humility  or  good-humour  of  some  one  made 
room  for  him.  As  soon  as  we  had  settled  the  object  of 
our  visit, — a  presentation  to  the  King,  which  was  fixed  for 
twelve  o'clock  on  the  day  after,  we  made  our  bows  to  the 
minister  and  retired. 

May  26. — At  twelve  o'clock  we  accompanied  Major 
Willock  to  the  palace ;  but  by  mistake  his  majesty  was  not 
apprized  of  our  arrival  till  it  was  too  late ;  so  he  sent  a 
message  to  desire  our  attendance  at  four  in  the  afternoon. 
We  saw  here  several  courtiers  retiring  from  the  daily  le- 
vee, at  which  the  King,  whether  in  sickness  or  in  health, 
is  obliged  to  be  present, — one  of  the  taxes  levied  upon 
despotic  power. 

The  court-dress  is  simple,  but  rich ;  the  common  sheep- 
skin cap  is  covered  with  a  superb  Cachemire  shawl.  Over 
the  homely  cotton  gown,  ordinarily  worn  by  all  ranks,  is 
a  scarlet  cloth  robe  :  a  pair  of  boots  of  the  same  materials 
completes  the  costume. 

We  Spent  an  hour  in  examining  the  palace.  The  out- 
ward gate  opens  into  a  spacious  court-yard,  in  which  are 
several  cannons  of  various  dimensions.  In  the  centre  is  a 
large  gun,  which  was  taken  from  Lootf  Ali  Khan,  the 
last  Persian  king  of  the  Zund  family.  Over  each  of  the 
four  gateways  is  a  large  drawing  formed  of  glazed  tiles, 
and  executed  in  a  truly  grotesque  manner.  In  one  of 
these,  Rustam,  the  Persian  Hercules,  is  engaged  in  fierce 
contest  with  the  Deevee  Safeed,  the  celebrated  White 
Demon  of  Ferdousi's  poem. 

This  court  leads  to  a  second.  In  the  centre  of  this  is 
a  piece  of  wrater  surrounded  by  poplars.     The  Dewan 


ALT  KHAN  MEEHZA.  261 

Khoneh  is  at  the  further  end.  In  this  chamber  is  a  large 
marble  throne,  on  which  his  Majesty  sits  on  extraordinary 
occasions.  The  walls  and  wainscoting  are  of  the  finest 
mosaic.  There  is  a  great  profusion  of  ornamental  glass 
of  all  colours,  describing  flowers.  The  ceiling  of  this 
room  is  a  succession  of  looking-  glasses  divided  by  flowered 
ornaments.  In  every  recess  or  panel  there  is  some  pic- 
ture :  in  one  is  a  hunting  piece,  in  another  a  battle,  in 
others  portraits  of  the  King.  I  was  much  amused  at  the 
style  of  some  of  the  smaller  paintings.  One  professes  to 
represent  Nadir  Shah  returning  the  crown  to  the  Indian 
king,  after  having  wrested  it  from  him ;  the  right  hand 
of  Nadir  grasps  the  club  of  state,  the  left  rests  on  the 
crown ;  but  so  fierce  is  the  expression  of  the  conqueror, 
and  so  peculiar  his  attitude,  that  it  seems  as  if  he  in- 
tended to  knoGk  down  the  Indian  monarch.  A  second 
exhibits  Noorsheervan  giving  audience  to  the  Grand 
Signior,  the  artist  forgetting  that  the  Persian  monarch, 
having  died  before  Mahomet,  could  not  have  been  a  con- 
temporary with  one  of  his  successors.  In  a  third  picture 
we  have  Iskunder  (Alexander  the  Great)  listening  to  the 
discourse  of  Ufllatoon  and  Aristo  (Plato  and  Aristotle.) 
The  Macedonian  hero  is  dressed  in  the  modern  Persian 
fashion,  and  the  two  great  philosophers  are  habited  like 
common  dervishes. 

In  the  course  of  the  morning  we  paid  our  respects  to 
Ali  Khan  Meerza,  a  favourite  son  of  the  king's,  governor 
of  Teheraun,  and  designated  by  the  title  of  Zilli  Sultan, 
(Shadow  of  the  Sultan,)  as  the  king  is  called  Zill  Illah, 
(the  Shadow  of  God.)  This  prince  is  born  of  the  same 
mother  as  Abbas  Meerza,  with  whom  it  is  thought,  after 
the  death  of  the  King,  he  will  have  a  contest  for  the  crown. 
His  Highness  is  very  handsome,  and  very  vain.  We 
made  a  profound  bow  on  entering,  and  were  graciously 

33 


262  INTERVIEW  WITH  THE  KING. 

invited  to  sit  down,  an  honour  granted  to  no  Persians  ex- 
cept princes  of  the  blood.  Five  of  these  were  present  at 
our  visit.  One,  a  boy  about  ten  years  old,  was  dressed 
in  a  gown  of  light  blue  cloth  richly  embroidered,  and  was 
the  handsomest  lad  I  ever  saw.  In  fact,  the  present  royal 
tribe  of  Persia  is  unrivalled  in  personal  beauty.  Ali  Khan 
Meerza  had  several  trinkets  by  him — a  string  of  beads, 
and  a  small  crutch  to  support  him  in  a  sitting  posture ; 
but  what  seemed  to  give  him  most  satisfaction  was  a  hand 
mirror,  at  which,  ever  and  anon,  he  gazed  with  much 
complacency. 

At  the  appointed  hour,  Meerza  Abool  Hassan  Khan, 
Major  Willock,  Mr.  Hamilton,  and  myself,  set  out  for 
our  interview  with  his  Majesty.  The  Persian  was  in  his 
court-dress,  we  were  in  full  uniform ;  and  we  all  wore 
green  slippers,  and  the  court  boots  of  red  cloth,  without 
which  no  one  can  approach  his  Majesty. 

The  King  received  us  in  a  small  palace  in  the  middle 
of  a  garden,  called  the  Gulestan — Rose  Garden.  When 
arrived  at  the  top  of  the  avenue  which  led  to  it,  we  imi- 
tated the  motions  of  the  Meerza,  and  bowed  several  times, 
our  hands  touching  our  knees  at  each  reverence.  We 
had,  at  this  time,  a  good  side-view  of  the  King,  who,  ap- 
parently from  established  etiquette,  took  no  notice  of  us. 
We  repeated  our  bows  at  intervals.  When  within  twen- 
ty yards  of  the  palace,  we  left  our  slippers  behind  us,  and 
the  King,  turning  towards  us  for  the  first  time,  called  out, 
"  Beeau-bala" — Ascend.  A  narrow  flight  of  steps  brought 
us  to  the  presence-chamber.  It  is  an  elegant  apartment, 
open  at  two  opposite  sides,  where  it  is  supported  by  spi- 
ral pillars  painted  white  and  red ;  a  large  carpet  is  spread 
on  the  floor ;  the  walls  and  ceiling  are  completely  covered 
with  looking-glass.  One  or  two  European  clocks  stand 
in  different  parts  of  the  room ;  but  the  accumulation  of 


INTERVIEW  WITH  THE  KING.  263 

tlust  upon  them  shows  that  they  are  considered  useless 
lumber. 

On  entering  this  chamber,  we  walked  sideways  to  the 
most  remote  corner  from  that  which  the  King  occupied. 
After  the  usual  compliments  of  welcome,  his  Majesty 
asked  several  questions  respecting  our  journey,  and  sur- 
prised us  not  a  little  at  his  geographical  knowledge,  both 
with  regard  to  the  country  we  had  quitted,  and  that 
which  we  purposed  to  visit.  The  audience  lasted  twenty 
minutes ;  his  Majesty  was  in  high  good  humour,  and  con- 
versed with  unaffected  ease  on  a  variety  of  subjects.  The 
titles  used  at  the  interview  were  "  Kubla-hi-Aulim  and 
Shah-in-Shahi" — Attraction  of  the  World,  and  King  of 
Kings.  He  was  seated  on  his  heels  on  some  doubled  num- 
muds,  the  Persians  priding  themselves  on  this  hard  seat, 
in  contradistinction  to  their  enemies  the  Turks,  whom 
they  charge  with  effeminacy  for  their  use  of  cushions. 

The  King  had  a  variety  of  toys,  which  gave  employ- 
ment to  his  hands,  and  assisted  his  gestures  in  conver- 
sation. One  of  these  trinkets  was  a  Chinese  ivory  hand 
at  the  end  of  a  thin  stick,  called  by  us  in  India  a  scratch- 
back,  a  name  which  faithfully  denotes  its  office  :  another 
was  a  crutch,  three  feet  long,  the  shaft  of  ebony,  and  the 
head  of  crystal.  His  Majesty  has  the  appearance  of  a 
younger  man  than  he  really  is ;  but  his  voice,  which  is 
hollow  from  the  loss  of  teeth,  is  a  better  indication  of 
his  age,  I  should  have  known  him  from  his  strong  re- 
semblance to  the  prints  I  had  seen  of  him  in  London. 
I  think,  however,  they  hardly  do  justice  to  his  beard, 
which  is  so  large  that  it  conceals  all  the  face  but  the  fore- 
head and  eyes,  and  extends  down  to  the  girdle.  He  was 
very  plainly  dressed,  wearing  a  cotton  gown  of  a  dark 
colour,  and  the  common  sheep-skin  cap.  In  his  girdle 
was  a  dagger,  superbly  studded  with  jewels  of  an  extra- 
ordinary size. 


264  DRESS  OF  THE  PERSIANS. 

The  dress  of  the  modern  Persian  has  undergone  so  com- 
plete a  change,  that  much  resemblance  to  the  ancient  cos- 
tume is  not  to  be  expected ;  still  there  are  some  marks  of 
decoration,  which  remind  one  of  the  ancient  monarchs. 
The  eyelids  of  the  King,  stained  with  surmeh,  brought 
to  our  recollection  the  surprise  of  the  young  and  hardy 
Cyrus,  when  he  viewed  for  the  first  time  a  similar  embel- 
lishment in  his  effeminate  uncle,  Astyages ;  and  in  that 
extraordinary  chapter  in  Ezekiel,  wherein  Jerusalem  is 
reproached  for  her  imitation  of  Babylonian  manners,  the 
prophet  alludes  to  this  custom,  when  he  says,  "Thou 
paintedst  thine  eyes."* 

A  bracelet,  consisting  of  a  ruby  and  emerald,  worn  by 
the  King  on  his  arm,  is  a  mark  of  ancient  sovereignty.  It 
will  be  recollected  that  the  Amalekites  brought  David  the 
bracelet  found  on  SauFs  arm,  as  a  proof  of  his  rank ;  and 
Herodotus  mentions  a  bracelet  of  gold  as  a  present  from 
Cambyses,  King  of  Persia,  to  the  King  of  Ethiopia. 

I  must  not  omit  the  mention  of  a  circumstance  connect- 
ed with  our  interview,  as  it  illustrates  a  piece  of  etiquette 
at  the  court  of  a  despotic  monarch.  A  few  minutes  be- 
fore we  were  presented,  we  observed  two  men  carrying 
a  long  pole  and  a  bundle  of  sticks  towards  the  audience 
chamber.  Curiosity  led  us  to  ask  the  Meerza  what  was 
the  meaning  of  this.  "That  machine,"  said  he,  "is 
the  bastinado ;  it  is  for  you,  if  you  misbehave.  Those 
men  are  carrying  it  to  the  King,  who  never  grants  a  pri- 
vate audience  without  having  it  by  him,  in  case  of  acci- 
dents." The  pole  we  saw  was  about  eight  feet  long:  when 
the  punishment  is  inflicted,  the  culprit  is  thrown  on  his 
back,  his  feet  are  secured  by  cords  bound  round  the  an- 
kles, and  made  fast  to  the  pole  with  the  soles  uppermost; 
the  pole  is  held  by  a  man  at  both  ends,  and  two  men,  one 

*  Ezek.  xxiii.  40. 


THE  BASTINADO.  2b5 

on  each  side,  armed  with  sticks,  strike  with  such  force 
that  the  toe-nails  frequently  drop  off.  This  punishment 
is  inflicted  by  order  of  the  King  upon  men  of  the  highest 
rank,  generally  for  the  purpose  of  extorting  money.  If 
Persia  was  not  so  fond  of  illustrating  the  use  of  this  em- 
blem of  power,  she  would  have  as  much  right  to  the 
"  Bastinado,"  as  we  have  to  the  "  Black  Rod." 


266         PALACE  OF  ALI  KHAN  MEEItZA. — GYPSIES, 


CHAPTER  XX, 


Summer  Palace  of  AH  Khan  Meerza — Gypsies— Soolimanea^ 
Sougherabad,  and  Sufur  Khojah — Casbin — Serah  Dahn — Aub- 
haur— Saingula— Curious  Animals — Ruins  of  Sultanieh — Tomb 
of  Sultan  Khodabundah — King's  Summer  Palace—- Zingaun — • 
Town,  Bazaar,  Mosque— Arm aghanah — Auk-kend— Kaufilan 
Koh— Mountain  of  Tigers — Kizil  Oozan— Bridge — Rude  Sce- 
nery—Murder of  Mr.  Brown— Superstitions — Kurz  Kula— 
Causeway— Oppression  of  Drowsiness— Arrive  at  Maeana— 
Curious  Exhibition — Description  of  Maeana — Extraordinary 
Bug  and  Earth  Louse — Turcoman  Sha-ee — Tikhmadash— 
Wasmitch— Arrival  at  Tabriz — Departure  of  Messrs.  Lamb 
and  Hart — Introduction  to  the  Prince  Royal. 

May  27. — We  made  an  excursion  of  ten  miles  to  the 
Demawund  Mountains,  and  stopped  to  breakfast  at  a  sum- 
mer palace  of  Ali  Khan  Meerza,  a  true  picture  of  a  Per- 
sian residence,  whether  belonging  to  prince  or  peasant — 
dirty  chambers,  broken  windows,  and  dilapidated  walls. 
In  the  garden  which  surrounded  it,  weeds  had  usurped 
the  plaGe  of  flowers.  Luckily  for  us  the  nightingales  did 
not  sympathize  with  the  proprietor's  neglect,  but  warbled 
delightfully  during  our  repast. 

Close  to  this  place  was  an  encampment  of  gypsies. 
They  are  called  in  Persian,  Girauchee.  There  is  no- 
thing to  distinguish  them  from  the  other  wandering  tribes, 
who,  it  is  said,  hold  them  in  low  estimation. 

The  valley  at  the  base  of  this  mountain  is  called  Shuma 
Iroon,  the  Light  of  Persia.     It  is  celebrated  for  the  salu- 


CASBIN. INTERVIEW  WITH  THE  PRINCE.  267 

brity  of  the  air,  and  the  beauty  of  its  situation.  It  is 
richly  wooded.  The  numerous  pleasure-houses,  mosques, 
and  villages  peeping  from  out  the  branches,  form  a  pleas- 
ing contrast  to  the  various  shades  of  the  verdant  foliage. 
A  large  waterfall  rushes  down  the  rock,  and  breaking 
into  several  channels,  traverses  the  habitations,  and  fer- 
tilizes the  plain  below. 

May  28. — One  of  my  horses  dying,  I  obtained  an  order 
for  three  of  the  King's  post-horses.  We  started  from 
Teheraun  in  the  evening,  and  arrived  at  a  caravanserai 
in  the  course  of  the  night. 

May 29 — 30. — June!. — Nothing  worthy  of  notice  oc- 
curred in  the  first  three  days  of  our  march.  Soolimanea, 
our  first  stage,  was  twenty-four  miles,  Sougherabad 
twelve,  and  Sufur  Khojah  thirty.  The  country  through- 
out is  intersected  by  channels  for  irrigation,  the  land  is 
well  cultivated,  and  the  harvest  abundant.  The  popula- 
tion here  is  greater  than  in  any  place  we  have  yet  seen 
in  Persia. 

June  2. — On  the  morning  of  the  2d,  we  came  to  Cas- 
bin,  the  seat  of  a  Prince  Governor.  Our  first  quarters 
were  in  a  stable,  where  we  were  nearly  driven  mad  by 
the  musquitos;  but  the  King's  order  soon  procured  us  an 
apartment  in  the  palace. 

This  city,  once  the  capital  of  the  kingdom,  is  still  suf- 
ficiently populous  to  carry  on  an  extensive  trade  with 
Ghilaun,  but  it  is  a  Persian  town,  and  therefore  in  ruins. 
Some  remains  of  the  buildings  of  the  Abbacidse  may  yet 
be  seen.  The  gardens  of  Casbin  produce  abundance  of 
fruit,  and  the  grapes  of  the  surrounding  vineyards  are 
unequalled  in  Persia. 

At  ten  at  night  I  obtained  an  interview  of  the  Prince. 
He  was  seated  in  the  veranda  of  a  circular  summer-house, 
situate  in  a  pretty  garden.  Aided  by  the  bright  light  of 
an  Eastern  moon,  I  could  almost  fancy  this  residence  a 


268  SERAH  DAHN.— AUBHAUR. 

fairy  habitation.  It  was  hung  round  with  Chinese  Ian- 
terns,  the  variegated  light  of  which  was  reflected  on  the 
group  of  surrounding  courtiers,  and  tinged  with  a  silvery 
hue  the  neighbouring  fountain.  This  was  the  outline — 
imagination  filled  up  the  picture. 

I  did  not  stipulate  for  my  privilege  as  an  Englishman, 
to  be  seated  in  the  Prince's  presence,  fearing  that,  if  I 
did,  I  should  not  obtain  an  interview ;  so  I  was  obliged  to 
stand  before  him.  I  was  presented  by  his  Mehmaundaur, 
whose  motions  of  reverence  I  imitated.  His  Highness's 
manner  was  haughty,  but  it  seemed  habitual  and  not  as- 
sumed. He  asked  me  several  questions,  mostly  respect- 
ing himself :  to  these  I  always  tried  to  give  a  reasonable 
answer ;  but  the  Mehmaundaur,  pretending  to  attribute 
my  plainness  of  language  to  ignorance  of  idiom,  turned 
every  thing  I  said  into  an  extravagant  compliment  to  the 
Prince,  and  then  asked  me  if  that  was  not  what  I  intended 
to  say.  To  dissent  was  impossible ;  so  I  let  him  have  his 
own  way,  and  thus  all  parties  were  pleased. 

June  3. — We  reached  Serah  Dahn,  a  march  of  twenty- 
two  miles,  in  seven  hours.  The  village  is  small,  but  sur- 
rounded by  extensive  fields  of  corn  ready  for  the  sickle. 

June  4. — From  Serah  Dahn  to  Aubhaur,  thirty-one 
miles,  was  an  uninteresting  march,  over  a  succession  of 
low  hills.     Aubhaur  stands  in  the  midst  of  a  clump  of 
trees,  and  is  surrounded  by  a  well-cultivated  tract  of  land. 
The  Persians  assign  it  a  high  antiquity.     As  we  devoted 
the  few  hours  of  our  stay  to  rest,  we  did  not  ascertain 
whether  there  were  any  ancient  ruins.     From  the  coin- 
cidences in  the  sound  of  the  name,  and  from  the  geogra- 
phical relation  of  the  place  to  others,  it  is  supposed  to  be 
"  Habor,  by  the  river  Gozan,"  where  Hoshea,  King  of 
Assyria,  carried  Israel  away  captive.     The  Kizzel  Ozan, 
the  reputed  Gozan  of  Scripture,  which  we  crossed  three 
days  afterwards,  is  forty-five  miles  from  Aubhaur. 


RUINS  OF  SULTANIEH.  269 

June  5.— We  left  our  quarters  before  dusk,  marched 
sixteen  miles,  and  halted  for  a  few  hours  at  the  village  of 
Saingula;  we  then  proceeded  to  Sultanieh,  eighteen  miles 
distant. 

We  passed  over  a  plain  swarming  with  animals  resem- 
bling rats,  which  live  in  burrows,  and  are  so  tame  that 
they  will  hardly  get  out  of  the  way  of  the  passing  tra- 
veller. 

June  6. — In  the  middle  of  the  plain  is  Sultanieh, 
a  city  founded  six  hundred  years  ago  by  Sultan  Kho- 
dabundah,  but  now  completely  in  ruins.  Amidst  the 
heaps  of  fallen  houses,  the  only  building  Worthy  of  notice 
is  the  tomb  of  the  founder.  It  is  a  noble  structure,  con- 
sisting of  a  beautifully  shaped  cupola  on  an  octangular 
base,  and  is  a  hundred  feet  high.  The  outside  has  been 
covered  with  a  sort  of  glazed  tile,  observable  in  many  old 
Eastern  buildings.  In  the  interior  are  the  remains  of 
some  fine  Arabesque  workmanship ;  but  time,  aided  by 
the  more  active  operations  of  destructive  man,  has  made 
it  difficult  to  trace  the  original  beauties.  There  are  se- 
veral Arabic  and  Cufic  inscriptions  painted  in  fresco  on 
the  walls,  but  these  are  daily  becoming  more  obliterated,  as 
workmen  are  taking  away  the  materials  of  the  tomb  for 
other  buildings. 

The  King  comes  to  Sultanieh  every  summer,  to  avoid 
the  heat  of  Teheraun.  When  we  left  the  capital,  his 
Majesty  was  to  set  out  in  a  fortnight. 

We  visited  the  palace  this  afternoon ;  the  ascent  to  it 
is  up  a  steep  and  narrow  staircase.  It  is  a  mean  and  ill- 
built  dwelling,  and  the  rooms  are  extremely  filthy.  The 
door-way  of  one  of  the  apartments  was  bricked  up,  but 
opened  to  allow  us  to  enter.  This  is  a  private  apartment 
of  the  King's.  At  the  bottom  of  the  room,  is  a  farcical 
representation  of  his  Majesty  on  horseback,  in  the  act  of 
spearing  a  wild  ass.     In  all  the  panels  are  full-length 

34 


ZINJAUN. — MOSQUE. 


fresco  portraits  of  different  sons  of  the  King.  The  Dewan 
Khoneh,  or  Hall  of  Audience,  leads  on  to  a  terrace.  The 
King  sits  in  the  most  elevated  part ;  a  little  below  is  a 
place  for  the  princes  and  nobles ;  and  another,  lower  still, 
for  the  inferior  classes.  The  plain  of  Sultanieh  cannot 
boast  a  single  tree ;  we  saw  no  birds,  and,  instead  of  the 
melody  of  nightingales,  we  heard  only  the  croaking  of 
frogs. 

June  7. — On  arriving  at  Zinjaun,  a  journey  of  twenty- 
six  miles,  we  heard  that  Messrs.  Lamb  and  Hart  had 
passed  through  a  few  days  before  ;  that  they  had  been 
overtaken  by  a  violent  thunder-storm,  and  that  some  of 
their  baggage-mules  had  been  carried  away  by  the  moun- 
tain torrent. 

Zinjaun  is  the  capital  of  the  district  of  Khumseh,  and 
is  governed  by  Abdoolah  Meerza,  one  of  the  King's  sons, 
who  resides  here.  The  town  is  large  and  populous;  it  is 
enclosed  in  a  mud  wall,  in  good  repair.  The  bazaar  is 
superior  to  those  at  Hamadan  and  Kermanshah,  and  al- 
most equal  to  that  at  Bagdad.  It  extends  from  the 
eastern  to  the  western  gate,  and  is  covered  over  the 
whole  way  with  light  thatch.  The  shops  are  well  stored 
with  all  the  usual  articles  of  consumption.  Anew  bazaar, 
not  yet  finished,  branches  off  into  the  great  one,  and  ter- 
minates in  the  square  in  front  of  the  palace.  One  portion 
is  finished,  and  the  shops  are  occupied ;  the  other  part  is 
incomplete,  and  apparently  going  to  ruin.  It  is  vaulted 
throughout,  and  upon  the  whole  is  well  built.  Adjoin- 
ing the  bazaar,  and  fronting  the  palace,  a  superb  mosque 
is  erecting ;  the  front  is  covered  with  enamelled  bricks  in 
the  form  of  Mosaic.  It  is  complete  to  the  first  story;  and 
the  principal  arch,  which  is  formed  of  hewn  stone,  has  a 
solid  and  handsome  appearance.  The  Mehmaun  Khoneh 
is  situate  close  to  the  eastern  gate,  in  a  fortified  suburb. 

ffune  8. — We  passed  along  the  outside  of  the  city  wal! 


AUK-KEND. — KIZIL  OOZAN.  271 

to  the  south ;  we  then  entered  on  a  stony  plain,  thinly 
covered  with  verdure.  Our  road  followed  the  direction 
of  a  river  to  the  N.  W.,  along  a  hollow  bounded  on  each 
side  by  high  banks,  which  the  stream  has  excavated  in 
the  course  of  ages.  This  hollow,  formed  of  rich  alluvial 
soil,  is  well  cultivated,  and  covered  with  luxuriant  crops 
of  wheat.  The  country  throughout  is  populous  and  culti- 
vated. A  fursukh  from  Zinjaun,  we  passed  a  large  vil- 
lage on  the  banks  of  a  river,  with  extensive  gardens  and 
groves  of  trees.  Several  other  villages,  surrounded  by 
gardens,  were  visible,  both  on  the  banks  of  the  stream 
and  in  the  hollows  of  mountains,  which  bound  the  valley 
on  both  sides.  In  a  march  of  twenty-four  miles  we  reached 
the  small  town  of  Armaghanah,  in  the  bosom  of  a  verdant 
valley. 

June  9. — Our  next  day's  journey  was  to  Auk-kend,  a 
distance  of  twenty-eight  miles,  over  a  hilly  uninteresting 
country. 

The  following  night  at  nine  we  set  out  for  Maeana. 
We  continued  traversing  hills  till  we  arrived  at  the  range 
of  mountains  called  Kaufilan  Koh,  Mountain  of  Tigers. 
At  the  top  of  this  range  we  first  saw  the  Kizil  Oozan,  the 
Golden  Stream. 

The  moon,  which  had  been  shining  brightly,  became  at 
length  partially  obscured  by  a  cloud,  and  showed  to  effect 
the  bold  outline  of  these  black  and  craggy  mountains,  and 
at  the  same  time  reflecting  on  the  river  beneath,  gave  it 
the  appearance  of  some  vast  shining  serpent  creeping 
through  the  dark  and  lonesome  valley.  According  to 
Rennel,  the  Kizil  Oozan  is  the  Gozan  of  Scripture.  We 
crossed  it  at  one  in  the  morning,  over  a  handsome  brick 
bridge ;  and  by  so  doing  quitted  Irak,  and  entered  upon 
the  district  of  Azerbijan,  the  government  of  Abbas  Meerza, 
the  Prince  Royal  of  Persia. 

In  former  times,  Azerbijan  was  called  Atropatena,  from 


272       RUDE  SCENERY. — SUPERSTITIONS. 

the  Satrap  Atropates,  who,  after  the  death  of  Alexander, 
assumed  the  title  of  King  of  this  country,  and  transmitted 
it  to  his  posterity,  who  retained  it  for  several  genera- 
tions. 

The  structure  of  this  bridge,  as  far  as  we  could  judge, 
indicates  both  skill  and  taste  in  the  architect.  It  consists 
of  three  large  arches,  the  centre  the  largest :  the  arches 
are  lofty,  to  allow  a  passage  for  the  water  at  the  highest 
floods :  the  piers,  which  are  very  massy  at  the  base,  are 
relieved  from  the  spring  of  the  arches  by  a  smaller  arch, 
which  gives  a  lightness  of  appearance  and  diminishes  the 
pressure.  Part  of  the  sides  are  fallen  in,  and  the  bridge 
itself  stands  a  fair  chance  of  soon  becoming  impassible, 
when  the  communication  of  this  road  will  be  stopped  for 
many  months  in  the  year.  The  scenery  here  is  exceed- 
ingly wild.  Immediately  below  the  bridge,  the  river 
passes  by  a  narrow  channel  between  lofty  precipitous 
mountains,  that  rise  almost  perpendicular  in  rude  rugged 
masses.  By  the  bright  light  of  the  moon,  we  saw  down 
the  river,  at  a  little  distance  from  the  bridge,  and  at  a 
considerable  elevation,  the  remains  of  an  ancient  fort, 
standing  on  a  detached  rock  of  an  irregular  form.  This 
rises  nearly  perpendicular  on  all  sides,  and  is  said  to  be 
the  haunt  of  robbers.  Our  Mehmaundaur  spoke  of  the 
danger  of  travelling  here  without  an  officer  appointed 
by  the  King.  It  was  not  far  hence  that  Mr.  Brown,  the 
African  traveller,  was  murdered,  whose  misfortune  may 
be  attributed  to  his  not  taking  with  him  a  Mehmaundaur. 
Numerous  tales  are  current  regarding  this  desolate  spot. 
It  is  said  to  be  the  scene  of  many  extraordinary  occur- 
rences, both  of  an  earthly  and  supernatural  kind.  Re- 
mote from  human  habitation,  this  is  not  surprising  in  a 
country  where  robbers  are  plenty,  and  superstition  pre- 
valent. The  fort  is  called  Kurz  Kula,  Daughters  Fort, 
said  to  have  been  built  by  the  daughter  of  a  king,  but  at 


OPPRESSION  OF  DROWSINESS.  273 

what  time  is  unknown  :  the  bridge  has  probably  been 
erected  at  the  same  time. 

Crossing  the  bridge,  we  commenced  the  ascent  of  a 
steep  mountain,  which  took  us  an  hour.  About  half-way 
up,  we  saw  the  remains  of  a  causeway,  which,  we  were 
told,  can  be  traced  to  the  top.  It  appears  to  have  been 
continued  throughout  the  whole  extent  of  the  mountain. 
In  some  parts  it  is  entire.  The  descent  on  the  opposite 
side,  towards  Mseana,  is  very  steep.  Mr.  Hamilton  and 
myself  suffered  much  from  the  intense  oppression  of 
drowsiness :  to  complete  the  matter,  my  horse  was  seized 
with  the  gripes,  and  continued  every  half-mile  to  lie 
down  writh  me  in  the  midst  of  the  precipitous  declivity. 
This  sensation  of  wanting  to  sleep  on  a  march  is  the  most 
distressing  inconvenience  of  an  over-land  journey. 

We  were  nearly  two  hours  in  reaching  the  bottom. 
Beyond  this  is  an  open  plain  of  considerable  extent. 
About  a  mile  from  the  foot  of  the  mountain,  we  crossed 
a  river,  running  to  the  S.  W.,  by  a  flat  bridge  of  twenty- 
three  equal  arches,  two  miles  beyond  Maeana. 

June  10. — On  entering  the  town,  we  were  witnesses  to 
rather  a  curious  exhibition.  I  should  first  mention  that 
the  Persians  are  in  the  habit  of  sleeping  on  the  flat  roofs 
of  their  houses  during  the  summer  months.  Day  was 
just  breaking  when  we  arrived.  As  the  houses  of  the 
poorer  classes  are  generally  not  more  than  eight  feet  high, 
we  had  a  full  view  of  nearly  the  whole  population  in  bed. 
Many  were  asleep ;  some  few  had  awoke ;  others  were 
getting  out  of  bed,  to  make  their  morning  toilette.  The 
scene  was  highly  entertaining,  and  brought  to  mind  the 
story  of  Le  Diable  Boiteaux  unroofing  the  houses  for  the 
gratification  of  Don  Cleofas. 

Mseana  stands  on  the  site  of  the  Atropatena  of  ancient 
history,  the  capital  of  Atropatia,  the  modern  Azerbijan. 
Both  town  and  district  derived  their  names  from  Atro 


274      DEScmrTifcN  of  mjeaxa. — bug  o*  mjeaxa. 

pates.  It  is  situate  on  a  low  swampy  plain.  Though  half 
in  ruins,  it  is  still  large  and  populous.  It  has  numerous 
gardens,  and  is  extensively  cultivated.  A  large  palace 
and  garden,  belonging  to  the  Prince  Royal,  stand  only  a 
few  hundred  yards  from  the  town ;  a  situation  in  which 
one  would  scarcely  expect  to  find  a  royal  residence.  We 
saw  the  remains  of  an  ancient  building,  apparently  the 
walls  of  a  fort,  built  of  large  hewn  stones  regularly 
squared,  but  we  could  not  learn  any  thing  respecting  it. 
Maeana  is  celebrated  for  the  manufacture  of  carpets.  It 
is  said  to  be  the  head-quarters  of  a  savage  tribe  called 
Chedaughee. 

We  were  regaled  here  with  the  story  of  an  extraor- 
dinary bug,  called  a  mullah,  a  native  of  Maeana.  This 
inhospitable  insect,  the  bite  of  which  is  mortal,  is  said  to 
leave  the  natives  unmolested,  and  only  to  attack  the  stran- 
ger. It  inhabits  the  crevices  of  old  walls.  If  a  light  is 
burning,  it  comes  not  forth ;  but  when  all  is  dark,  this 
midnight  assassin  stalks  from  its  concealment,  and  slays 
the  way-worn  traveller. 

This  story,  absurd  as  it  is,  has  gained  credit  with  more 
than  one  person.  For  ourselves,  we  are  inclined  to  acquit 
the  mullah  of  murderous  habits,  and  are  at  least  grateful 
to  it  for  letting  us  live  to  tell  the  tale. 

We  cannot  so  easily  absolve  from  blame  another  species 
of  insect,  which  accompanied  us  from  Maeana  to  Tabriz. 
It  is  of  a  diamond  shape,  small,  white,  and  flat.  The 
bite  produces  an  intolerable  itching.  At  first,  we  could 
not  imagine  what  caused  our  uneasiness,  but  on  examin- 
ing our  clothes  we  found  this  animal.  We  observed  that, 
after  having  feasted  on  us  for  a  little  while,  a  black  mark 
appeared  down  its  back.  We  understand  this  insect  is 
generated  in  the  earth,  and  is  of  the  same  description  as 
the  louse  mentioned  in  Scripture  as  one  of  the  plagues  of 


WASMITCH.  275 

Egypt;  though  it  agrees  in  description  with  the  common 
body-louse  of  our  own  country. 

June  11. — We  left  Mseana  in  the  night,  travelled 
twenty-one  miles  over  a  hilly  country,  and  arrived  in  the 
morning  at  the  village  of  Turcoman  Sha-ee,  the  neigh- 
bourhood of  which  is  in  a  good  state  of  cultivation. 

June  12. — The  next  day's  march  was  to  Tikhmadash, 
twenty-four  miles,  road  N.  W.  and  hilly  as  usual.  We 
passed  two  caravanserais  in  ruins,  and  saw  several  vil- 
lages. In  the  latter  part  of  the  stage,  the  country  wras 
well  cultivated. 

Tikhmadash  is  a  considerable  village,  on  the  brow  of 
an  eminence  a  mile  to  the  west  of  the  road.  The  situa- 
tion is  very  much  exposed. 

June  13. — We  next  came  to  the  village  of  Wasmitch ; 
a  laborious  journey,  though  the  distance  was  not  more 
than  twenty-six  miles.  In  two  hours  we  passed  the  vil- 
lage of  Oojoon.  After  crossing  a  low  bottom  of  marshy 
ground,  we  saw  a  number  of  oblong  tomb-stones,  about 
six  feet  long,  and  two  wide  and  thick.  The  country  was 
hilly,  and  presented  the  usual  defect  of  Persian  scenery^ — 
a  total  absence  of  wood.  This  remark  is  applicable  to  al- 
most every  day's  march  since  we  left  Bussorah.  Once  or 
twice  in  the  route  we  might  fall  in  with  a  few  trees,  but 
they  were  always  scrupulously  noted  down  as  objects  of 
curiosity.  In  towns,  and  in  their  immediate  neighbour- 
hood, there  was  generally  a  small  collection,  but  these 
were  mostly  poplars,  and  rather  added  to  the  naked  ap- 
pearance of  the  country. 

June  14. — We  set  out  at  daylight.  Wasmitch  being 
only  nine  miles  from  Tabriz,  we  had  written  to  inform 
the  English  residents  of  our  approach,  but  by  the  delay  of 
our  messenger  the  note  arrived  almost  at  the  same  time 
with  us.  We  met  Major  Monteith,  at  the  entrance  of 
the  town,  riding  full  gallop  to  meet  us;  it  being  a  custom- 


276  ENGLISH  RESIDENTS. 

ary  compliment  for  the  English  residents  in  Persia  to  re- 
ceive the  strangers  at  the  gates,  and  to  accompany  them 
into  the  town. 

We  were  highly  gratified  at  sitting  down  to  an  excel- 
lent breakfast  with  a  party  of  our  own  countrymen  :  after 
which,  Mr.  Hamilton  became  the  guest  of  Doctor  Cor- 
mick, and  I  of  Major  Monteith.  The  English  residents 
at  Tabriz  are,  Major  Monteitii,  who  is  employed  by  the 
India  Government  in  a  survey  of  Georgia  ;  Captain  Hart, 
the  commander  of  the  Prince's  guard ;  and  Dr.  Cormick, 
physician  to  his  Royal  Highness.  There  were  besides, 
Major  Walker  and  Mr.  Edward  Bootle  Wilbraham,  tra- 
vellers from  England  ;  and  our  friends  Messrs.  Lamb  and 
Hart,  whom  we  w;ere  delighted  to  meet  again.  They  had 
arrived  Tabriz  six  days  before  us,  and  being  anxious  to 
proceed  to  England  with  all  possible  despatch,  had  intend- 
ed to  set  out  the  same  evening.  In  consequence  of  our 
arrival,  they  were  kind  enough  to  defer  their  journey 
till  the  following  day. 

June  15. — The  next  day  we  took  our  farewell  dinner 
with  Messrs.  Hart  and  Lamb,  who  started  at  ten  at  night. 
They  were  accompanied  by  all  the  English  outside  the 
walls  of  the  town.  As  they  expected  to  be  in  England 
six  weeks  before  me,  I  sent  letters  by  them  to  my 
friends. 

June  16. — The  following  morning  Major  Walker,  Mr. 
Hamilton,  and  myself,  were  presented  to  the  Abbas  Meer- 
za,  the  Prince  Royal,  by  Dr.  Cormick.  We  were  re- 
ceived in  the  Dewan  Khoneh,  and  were  seated  opposite 
the  Prince.  His  Royal  Highness  addressed  us  with  the 
greatest  civility  and  kindness.  In  the  room  was  a  pic- 
ture representing  one  of  his  successful  expeditions  against 
the  Turks.  This  naturally  introduced  the  subject  of  his 
wars,  on  which  we  of  course  made  some  common  compli- 
ments.   His  Royal  Highness  disclaimed  all  credit  to  him- 


INTRODUCTION  TO  THE  PRINCE  ROYAL.  277 

self,  attributing  his  victories  entirely  to  the  assistance  of 
our  countrymen. 

I  was  surprised  to  find  that  his  Royal  Highness  imme- 
diately recognized  the  Waterloo  medal  which  I  wore, 
asking  me  if  it  had  not  been  given  for  having  been  pre- 
sent at  the  last  decisive  battle  the  English  fought  with 
Napoleon.  A  reply  in  the  affirmative  produced  nume- 
rous civil  speeches  relative  to  that  event,  and  the  com- 
pliments we  had  given  were  repaid  with  interest. 

Among  the  expressions  of  civility  used  by  his  Royal 
Highness,  was  "Be-dillum,  nuzdeek  mee-aeed,"  "You 
approach  near  to  my  heart;"  which  phrase  he  continually 
repeated  till  we  look  our  leave. 


35 


278  DINNER  WITH  COLONEL  MAZEROWITCIL 


CHAPTER  XXI. 


Dinner  with  Colonel  Mazerowitch — Projected  Route — Arrange- 
ments for  the  Journey-— Departure  from  Tabriz — Appearance 
of  the  Country—  Shehruk— Golijah— Aher — New  Mehmaun- 
daur — Hoja  Kishlaukh — Arabshehr— Beautiful  Scenery — Yok- 
hari  Perasewaun— Gulakundee — Wheat  Harvest — Venomous 
Serpent— Illustration  of  Plutarch — Cross  the  Araxes — Illyaut 
Encampment — Arrival  in  Russian  Territory — Meralian — Kara- 
baugh,  the  country  of  the  Sacaseni — Peerhumud — Luxuriant 
Foliage — Cossacks  Haymaking — Khanakhi — Armenian  Vil- 
lages— Arrival  at  Sheesha— Appearance  of  the  Town— Russian 
Officers'  Quarters — Aga  Beg,  Chief  of  the  Armenians,  and  his 
Brothers — Two  Missionaries — Visit  to  the  Commandant- 
Tomb  of  Nartuck — Sheesha,  its  Population,  Trade,  Climate, 
and  Costume— Prescribe  for  my  Host's  brother — My  fame  as  a 
Physician. 

We  one  day  dined  with  Colonel  Mazerowitch,  the 
Russian  Charge-d'affaires.  Though  all  the  party  were 
Christians,  and  did  not  exceed  twenty,  there  were  pre- 
sent, natives  of  France,  Spain,  Italy,  Germany,  Holland, 
Russia,  England,  Greece,  Sclavonia,  Armenia,  Georgia, 
Arabia,  and  Persia.  Amongst  the  servants  in  attendance 
were,  a  Russian,  Persian,  Indian,  Turk,  and  Kalmuk 
Tartar. 

June  18. — Mr.  Hamilton  wishing  to  proceed  to  Eng- 
land by  Poland,  Austria,  and  Germany,  remained  at  Ta- 
briz with  Mr.  Wilbraham,  who  purposed  taking  the  same 
route.  They  set  out  together  about  a  fortnight  after  me? 
and  reached  home  a  month  later. 


ROUTE  TOWARDS  EUROPE.  279 

My  future  road  being  left  to  my  own  choice,  I  had  re- 
course to  the  map,  and  selected  that  which  seemed  to  offer 
the  most  novelty. 

My  mind  made  up,  I  immediately  went  to  the  Russian 
Charge-d'affaires  for  advice  and  assistance.  He  tried  to 
dissuade  me  from  my  scheme  ;  but,  seeing  me  determined, 
gave  me  a  letter  to  a  relation  at  Astrakhan,  and  counter- 
signed the  passport  which  had  been  given  me  by  Major 
Willock.  I  discharged  my  old  servant,  a  Turk,  and  sub- 
stituted a  native  of  Ghilaun,  who  could  speak  Persian  and 
Turkish.  I  engaged  ^.ye  horses  to  carry  my  baggage  and 
servants,  and  obtained  from  the  Prince  Royal  a  Mehmaun- 
daur,  with  the  usual  rukum. 

As  the  remainder  of  my  route  through  Asia  differs  from 
that  of  nearly  every  preceding  traveller,  a  short  notice  of 
it  will  be  necessary. 

I  quitted  the  Persian,  and  entered  the  Russian  terri- 
tory, by  crossing  the  river  Arras,  the  Araxes  of  Plutarch. 
Between  this  river  and  the  Kur  (the  ancient  Cyrus  or 
Cyrnus)  is  the  beautiful  province  of  Karabaugh,  formerly 
the  country  of  the  Sacse  or  Sacaseni,  a  warlike  tribe  of 
Scythians  mentioned  by  Pliny  and  Strabo,  and  supposed 
to  be  the  same  people  as  our  early  ancestors  the  Saxons. 

On  quitting  Karabaugh,  I  proceeded  eastward  through 
the  province  of  Shirvan,  the  Albania  of  the  Ancients,* 
the  scene  of  many  of  the  actions  of  Cyrus,  and  subse- 
quently of  Pompey  the  Great.  The  capital  of  this  coun- 
try is  Nova  Shumakhia,  through  which  I  passed  on  my 
road  to  Bakoo,  a  sea-port  town  in  the  same  province  on 
the  western  shore  of  the  Caspian,  the  Casiphian  sea  of 
Scripture  history.  Hence  I  went  north  along  the  sea- 
shore through  Daghestan,  or  "  Region  of  Mountains," 
which  name  sufficiently  denotes  its  character.    Daghestan 

*  Vide  Solin.,  Dionys.  Hal.,  Justin,  Strabo,  Pliny,  Pomp.  Mela, 

Plutarch. 


280  DEPARTURE  FROM  TABRIZ. 

includes  the  states  of  Lezguistan,  Shamkhaul,  Durbund, 
and  Tabasseran.  The  most  important  of  these  divisions 
is  Lezguistan,  a  country  inhabited  by  the  most  warlike 
tribe  of  Mount  Caucasus,  and  which  till  within  these  few 
years  was  considered  invincible.  From  Daghestan  I  passed 
through  the  province  of  Kumuk  to  Astrakhan,  and  entered 
Europe  at  the  Russian  town  of  Saritzin. 

After  this  preamble  I  resume  my  daily  narrative. 

I  left  Tabriz  in  the  evening  of  the  anniversary  of  Wa- 
terloo, for  Sheesha,  the  capital  of  Karabaugh.  Major 
Monteith,  Monsieur  de  Ambourger  (Secretary  to  the 
Russian  mission,)  and  my  old  friend  and  fellow  traveller 
Mr.  Hamilton,  accompanied  me  the  first  four  miles ;  after 
which  we  commenced  the  ascent  of  a  mountain  which  led 
through  so  steep  a  defile  as  to  oblige  us  frequently  to 
dismount. 

The  appearance  of  the  country  for  the  first  three  days 
was  a  continuation  of  that  description  of  scenery  to  which 
I  had  so  long  been  accustomed — a  succession  of  rugged 
eminences,  intersected  with  valleys  partially  cultivated, 
but  without  a  tree  to  relieve  the  dreary  prospect. 

After  travelling  sixteen  miles,  I  felt  an  inclination  to 
sleep,  and,  being  now  entirely  my  own  master,  I  threw 
myself  on  my  mattress,  and  in  a  moment  was  in  a  pro- 
found sleep  by  the  road  side. 

June  19. — At  seven  we  arrived  at  a  small  village  on  an 
eminence,  called  Shehruk,  where  we  breakfasted,  and 
halted  for  a  few  hours.  In  this  neighbourhood  the  inhabi- 
tants were  ploughing;  though  the  soil  was  light  and 
sandy,  each  plough  was  attended  by  two  men  and  drawn 
by  four  oxen. 

At  3  P.  M.  we  set  out,  and  in  a  distance  of  sixteen  miles 
reached  the  village  of  Golijah,  containing  about  forty  huts. 
We  soon  collected  a  crowd  about  us  ;  and  the  inhabitants, 
but  especially  the  Women,  seemed  to  vie  with  each  other 


RUSSIAN  DESERTERS. — ARABSHEHR.  281 

in  offering  their  assistance.  The  females  wore  no  veils ; 
they  were  handsome  black-eyed  damsels,  low  in  stature, 
but  of  excellent  proportion;  their  extreme  plumpness 
was  well  set  off  by  their  large  turbans,  loose  jackets,  and 
capacious  trowsers. 

June  20. — After  a  sleepless  night,  welcome  daylight 
at  length  arrived,  to  relieve  me  from  the  myriads  of  bugs, 
fleas,  and  other  vermin.  In  a  march  of  eight  miles  we 
reached  Aher,  a  fortified  town,  commanded  by  Yusuf 
Khan,  and  garrisoned  by  three  thousand  Persians,  who 
are  organized  on  the  European  military  system,  by  Rus- 
sian deserters,  fifty-seven  of  whom  are  at  present  in  the 
town.  One  of  them  told  me  that  the  greater  part  of  his 
countrymen  had  been  here  since  the  battle  of  Kertch, 
which  took  place  in  1812,  when  the  Persians  gained  a 
victory  over  the  Russians  on  the  banks  of  the  Araxes. 

At  this  place  the  Governor  dismissed  my  old  Meh- 
maundaur,  and  substituted  one  of  his  own  followers.  We 
left  Aher  at  two  in  the  afternoon,  and  halted  for  the  night 
at  a  village  called  Hoja  Kishlaukh,  containing  about  ten 
wretched  huts.  I  took  up  my  quarters  in  a  bullock -shed, 
in  company  with  my  horses ;  but  this  was  a  paradise  com- 
pared to  last  night's  lodging. 

The  road  was,  as  usual,  over  a  succession  of  mountains: 
a  gentle  breeze  springing  up  at  sunrise,  rendered  the 
morning  cool  and  pleasant.  We  were  now  approaching 
the  Russian  frontier ;  and  the  Mehmaundaur  particular- 
ly desired  me  to  keep  close  to  the  baggage,  on  account  of 
the  banditti,  who,  he  said,  inhabited  these  mountains. 
We  stopped  to  breakfast  at  Arabshehr,  five  miles  distant 
from  the  last  stage :  a  very  pretty  village,  situate  in  a 
small  but  fruitful  valley,  and  overhung  with  craggy 
mountains.  My  mat  was  spread  in  a  cherry  orchard ; 
the  boys  climbed  the  trees  for  fruit,  and  the  women 
brought  bowls  of  milk,  bread,  and  butter.    We  continued 


282   BEAUTIFUL  SCENERY. — VENOMOUS  SERPENT. 

ascending  till  mid-day,  when,  arriving  at  the  summit  of 
the  highest  range  of  hills,  a  most  beautiful  scene  sudden- 
ly and  unexpectedly  burst  upon  my  view,  rendered  doubly 
interesting  from  having  so  long  traversed  a  barren  waste. 

The  sloping  declivity  of  the  mountain  was  beautifully 
covered  with  all  kinds  of  forest  trees  ;  a  rich  underwood, 
the  woodbine  interwoven  with  the  varied  colours  of  other 
creepers,  roses,  aromatic  shrubs  and  wild -flowers,  render- 
ed the  scene  sweet  to  the  sense  and  grateful  to  the  eye. 
From  this  point  might  be  seen  successive  ranges  of  moun- 
tains, decreasing  in  height  until  they  marked  the  nearly 
level  banks  of  the  river  Araxes.  Abruptly  rising  on  the 
extreme  and  broken  line  of  the  horizon,  were  the  black 
and  lofty  mountains  of  the  fruitful  province  of  Karabaugh : 
large  masses  of  rock  in  the  foreground,  appearing  as  if 
thrown  up  by  some  great  convulsion  of  nature,  com- 
pleted the  splendid  variety  of  the  scene. — We  continued 
marching  for  several  miles  under  the  shade  of  a  natural 
arbour,  which,  formed  by  the  meeting  of  the  trees,  was 
sufficiently  thick  to  protect  us  from  the  heat  of  the  sun. 
The  descent  of  this  mountain  was  exceedingly  steep,  and 
not  always  devoid  of  danger ;  two  of  the  horses  fell  twice. 

In  the  course  of  the  day  we  passed  the  beautiful  little 
village  of  Yokhari  Perasewaun,  situate  in  the  midst  of 
corn-fields  ;  and  at  sunset  arrived  at  Gulakundee,  a  vil- 
lage in  the  mountain  heights,  where  I  bivouacked  for  the 
night  on  the  roof  of  a  house. 

June  23. — I  was  again  consigned  to  another  Mehmaun- 
daur.  The  road  for  seven  miles  led  along  the  ridge  of  a 
mountain,  overlooking  a  pleasant  valley  with  abundant 
cultivation.  The  inhabitants  were  at  this  time  busy  in 
gathering  in  the  wheat,  which  was  in  sheaves  placed  ho- 
rizontally, and  not  vertically  as  in  England.  As  the  cat- 
tle proceeded  slowly,  I  got  ofF  my  horse  to  shoot,  and  in 
my  walk  was  near  treading  on  a  snake.     Upon  describing 


ILLUSTRATION  OF  PLUTARCH.  283 

it  to  the  Mehmaundaur,  he  told  me  that  it  was  probably 
a  very  venomous  serpent  called  a  tulkha,  of  which  species 
there  were  numbers  in  the  neighbourhood.  The  natives 
speak  also  of  a  spider,  the  bite  of  which  is  mortal,  pro- 
bably the  phalangium  arenoides  of  Linnaeus.  In  the 
course  of  the  day  I  saw  three  large  snakes,  and  a  small 
one  resembling  a  cobra  di  capello. 

The  abundance  of  these  venomous  creatures  illustrates 
the  account  given  by  Plutarch  of  Pompey  the  Great,  who, 
after  having  overcome  the  Albanians  between  the  Araxes 
and  Cyrus,  (consequently  at  a  short  distance  hence,)  wished 
to  pursue  the  enemy  to  the  banks  of  the  Caspian  Sea,  but 
was  compelled  to  abandon  his  design  in  consequence  of 
the  vast  number  of  snakes  and  other  reptiles  which  occu- 
pied the  plains  through  which  he  would  have  been  obliged 
to  pass.* 

As  we  descended  towards  the  Araxes,  the  atmosphere 
became  exceedingly  sultry.  The  Mehmaundaur,  to  be- 
guile the  time,  sang  the  "Loves  of  Furhaud  and  the  Fair 
Shereen  $"  and  that  fertile  theme  of  Persian  songs,  the 
Nightingale,  the  note  of  which  he  imitated  with  great 
correctness. 

We  reached  the  banks  of  the  river  about  three  in  the 
afternoon,  and  proceeded  to  an  encampment  of  the  Lauri- 
jaumee  tribe,  whom  we  found  occupied  in  manufacturing 
carpets  and  winding  raw  silk.  We  remained  here  till  the 
cool  of  the  evening,  when  we  crossed  the  river  Araxes  (or, 
according  to  the  present  appellation,  the  Arras,)  which 
here  separates  the  Persian  from  the  Russian  dominion. 

The  Araxes  at  this  point  is  about  one  hundred  yards 
wide  :  the  rapidity  of  its  course  is  much  augmented  by 
the  confluence  of  mountain  torrents,  which,  here  render- 

*  Gibbon  doubts  Pliny's  account  of  the  existence  of  venomous 
reptiles  in  this  country.  Vide  Decline  and  Fall  of  the  Roman 
Empire,  vol.  iv.  chap,  xlvi,  note 


284  ILLYAUT  ENCAMPMENT. 

ing  their  tributary  streams,  throw  up  large  isolated  heaps 
of  stone,  and  cause  it  to  sweep  along — "  pontem  indigna- 
tus  Araxes."  With  motives  probably  similar  to  those 
which  induced  a  noble  poet  to  cross  the  Hellespont,  I 
tried,  but  not  with  the  same  success,  to  swim  over  a  river 
once  celebrated  as 

«•  The  proud  Araxes  whom  no  bridge  could  bind." 

In  the  mean  while  my  servant  and  a  party  of  Illyauts 
were  transporting  the  baggage  in  a  boat  made  of  the  hol- 
low trunk  of  a  tree,  the  fibres  of  which  formed  a  rope  to  se- 
cure it  to  the  bank.  In  this  frail  bark  we  crossed  the  river 
in  perfect  safety,  at  the  same  time  that  my  horses,  which 
had  been  made  to  swim  over,  had  also  arrived  on  the  op- 
posite shore,  though  one  was  nearly  drowned  by  the  ra- 
pidity of  the  current. 

Some  Illyauts,  of  the  same  tribe  as  those  we  had 
just  left,  occupied  this  bank  of  the  river.  I  was  here 
shown  to  the  best  tent,  and  a  fine  new  carpet  was  spread 
for  my  accommodation. 

The  cattle  had  just  been  brought  in  for  the  night,  and 
the  promiscuous  assemblage  of  man  and  beast  was  highly 
amusing.  Before  each  tent  the  women  were  busily  and 
variously  employed,  some  in  manufacturing  carpets,  others 
in  milking  cattle,  and  others  in  making  bread  of  the  same 
description  as  that  mentioned  in  Scripture,  as  having  been 
made  by  Sarah  for  the  three  Angels. 

As  I  had  now  arrived  in  Russian  territory,  my  Meh- 
maundaur  delivered  me  formally  over  to  the  Chief  of  the 
encampment,  from  whom  he  took  a  written  receipt  for 
the  safe  consignment  of  my  person. 

The  place  occupied  by  this  camp  is  a  marshy  swamp, 
extending  several  miles,  called  Meralian :  myriads  of  mus~ 
quitoes  visited  me  as  I  retired  to  rest,  but  I  slept  soundly 
in  spite  of  them,  and  at  daylight  set  out  for  Sheesha,  the 


COUNTRY  OF  THE  SACASENI.  285 

capital  of  Karabaugh.  The  inhabitants  of  this  province, 
which  in  ancient  maps  is  laid  down  as  the  country  of  the 
Sacaseni,  the  learned  have  tried  to  prove  are  from  the 
same  stock  as  the  Anglo-Saxons.* 

In  a  march  of  twelve  miles  we  reached  Peerhumud, 
a  Tartar  encampment,  containing  forty  tents.  We  re- 
mained here  two  hours.  Though  the  thermometer  was 
88  in  the  shade,  and  122  in  the  sun,  I  felt  but  little  in- 
convenience from  the  heat. 

We  put  up  vast  numbers  of  partridges  on  our  march, 
saw  herds  of  antelopes,  and  swarms  of  locusts.  We  con- 
tinued travelling  till  evening,  when  we  fell  in  with  a 
large  body  of  Tartars,  who  had  struck  their  tents  for  the 
summer  season. 

June  24. — We  started  at  three  in  the  morning.  The 
appearance  of  the  country  has  gradually  improved,  since 
wre  left  the  marsh  on  the  banks  of  the  river.  We  tra- 
velled for  several  miles  this  morning  completely  protected 
from  the  heat  of  the  sun  by  the  luxuriant  foliage  of  the 
trees.  We  passed  a  Cossack  station  to  our  left.  A  few 
straw  huts  comprised  the  barracks.  The  soldiers  were 
employed  in  haymaking.  As  I  passed,  they  all  faced 
towards  me,  and  stood  at  attention,  with  their  heads  un- 
covered, in  compliment  to  my  military  dress.  The  coun- 
try people  also  observed  the  European  ceremony,  by  taking 
off  their  caps,  which,  discovering  their  shorn  heads,  had 
a  curious  appearance. 

At  some  distance  on  the  left  hand  we  saw  Khanakhi,  a 
well-built  town,  in  which  is  a  Russian  force.  We  passed 
several  Armenian  villages,  all  remarkable  for  their  cleanly 
appearance.  The  cattle  were  now  so  knocked  up  that  I 
almost  despaired  of  reaching  my  destination.     One  of  the 

*  Turner's  History  of  the  Anglo-Saxons,  vol.  i.  p.  114. 
36 


286  RUSSIAN  officers'  quarters. 

horses,  which  was  unable  to  proceed,  was  consigned  to 
the  care  of  an  Armenian,  and  died  shortly  after. 

On  arriving  at  the  summit  of  a  mountain  I  came  in  sight 
of  Sheesha.  The  town  is  built  on  a  huge  mass  of  sloping 
rock  of  great  height.  The  ascent  is  so  precipitous  that 
the  houses  appear  to  be  hanging  on  it  like  bird-cages.  I 
was  upwards  of  two  hours  in  reaching  the  top.  All  the 
horses  but  two  were  completely  knocked  up.  I  took  the 
least  laden  of  these,  and  my  servant  and  I  rode  by  turns 
till  we  arrived  at  the  gate.  Unluckily  I  had  left  my  pass- 
port with  the  baggage,  which  occasioned  the  sentinel  to 
give  me  in  charge  of  a  corporal  and  a  file  of  men,  by 
whom  I  was  conducted  to  the  Russian  officers'  quarters, 
and  afterwards  to  the  house  of  the  commanding  officer  of 
the  regiment,  where  I  remained  for  two  hours  in  arrest. 

My  casual  stay  at  the  barracks  gave  me  no  great  idea 
of  the  comfort  of  Russian  subalterns.  In  a  small,  dark, 
dirty  room  I  saw  four  beds ;  on  each  of  which  an  officer 
was  snoring  as  I  entered. 

It  was  now  three  o'clock  in  the  afternoon :  I  had  been 
for  twelve  hours  employed  in  a  laborious  march,  and  for 
nineteen  had  not  tasted  food.  I  was  almost  worn  out  with 
heat,  hunger,  and  fatigue,  and  with  but  a  faint  hope  of 
release,  when  something  was  said  about  assigning  me  a 
quarter.  At  this  moment,  a  jolly  fat-looking  gentleman 
stepped  forward,  and  begged  for  me  as  his  guest.  His 
name  was  Aga  Beg ;  he  was  chief  of  the  Armenians.  With 
so  fine  a  promise  of  good  cheer  as  his  appearance  gave, 
I  eagerly  accepted  his  hospitality,  and  accompanied  him 
home.  A  plentiful  repast  was  spread  on  the  floor.  As 
soon  as  it  was  ready,  two  brothers  of  my  host,  the  coun- 
terparts of  himself,  came  in;  and,  to  judge  by  their  ap- 
petites, had,  like  myself,  arrived  half  starved  from  a 
journey. 

In  the  evening,  two  Missionaries  came  to  call  upon  me  z 


VISIT  TO  THE  COMMANDANT.  287 

one  a  Swiss,  the  other  a  Pole.  The  latter  was  a  Polish 
nobleman :  his  motive  for  leaving  his  own  country  was 
twofold :  the  first  was  the  laudable  object  of  preaching 
the  Gospel  of  Christ;  the  other  was  to  attempt  to  establish 
liberty  and  equality  wherever  he  went.  He  gave  me  a 
specimen  of  this  visionary  scheme,  in  inviting  me  to  din- 
ner the  next  day,  and  desiring  to  know  whether  I  would 
object  to  sit  at  table  with  his  servant,  an  Armenian  of  the 
lowest  description.  I  told  him  I  should  be  happy  to  dine 
with  him,  provided  his  servant  should  be  behind  a  chair, 
and  not  in  one. 

June  25. — I  dined  with  the  missionaries  at  one  o'clock, 
and  afterwards  paid  my  respects  to  Colonel  Tsichikoff, 
the  commandant  of  the  district,  who  had  just  returned 
from  visiting  the  different  posts  of  the  district  under  his 
command.  Several  officers  were  present  during  our  in- 
terview, but,  agreeably  to  Russian  discipline,  none  sate  in 
the  presence  of  their  superior  officer.  As  neither  the 
Colonel  nor  myself  spoke  any  European  language  which 
the  other  understood,  we  were  obliged  to  call  in  the  aid 
of  two  Asiatic  languages ;  he  spoke  Turkish,  I  Persian, 
and  my  servant  acted  as  interpreter  between  us. 

June  26. — The  Commandant  returned  my  visit  the  next 
morning,  was  very  civil,  and  promised  to  do  every  thing 
in  his  power  to  facilitate  my  journey.  He  had  not  long 
taken  his  leave,  when  Aga  Beg  and  his  brother  entered 
the  room  in  high  altercation,  because  the  latter  had  al- 
lowed the  Commandant  to  leave  the  house  without  par- 
taking of  a  feast  that  had  been  prepared  for  him:  this  he 
considered  a  great  affront;  and  so  indignant  was  he  at  it, 
that  he  was  very  near  going  to  the  Colonel  to  persuade 
him  to  pay  me  another  visit,  solely  for  the  purpose  of 
making  him  eat  some  of  the  good  cheer. 

In  the  afternoon  I  accompanied  one  of  the  Missionaries 
over  the  town  and  the  suburbs:  in  returning,  he  took  me 


288  TOMB  OF  NARTUCK. 

to  the  Armenian  burying-ground.  A  boy  who  was  with 
us  ran  forward,  and,  kneeling  down,  kissed  one  of  the 
tomb-stones.  Upon  asking  to  whose  tomb  such  honours 
were  paid,  I  was  told  that  it  was  that  of  a  man  named 
Nartuck,  who  is  dignified  with  the  title  of  Martyr,  and 
respecting  whom  the  following  story  is  told,  and  almost 
universally  believed. 

Forty  years  ago,  when  the  Tartar  Khans  (Princes) 
were  in  possession  of  Sheesha,  Nartuck,  a  Christian  of 
Georgia,  was  the  property  of  a  Mahometan,  whom  he 
killed  in  attempting  to  commit  a  brutal  assault  upon  his 
person.  The  brother  of  the  deceased  seized  Nartuck, 
and  gave  him  the  usual  alternative  of  suffering  death  or 
embracing  Mahometanism.  His  belief  in  our  Saviour  and 
the  Trinity  was  the  only  answer  he  made  to  the  often- 
repeated  proposal.  After  undergoing  the  most  dreadful 
tortures,  he  expired,  and  his  body  was  conveyed  to  this 
spot.  At  night,  a  large  flame  appeared  over  the  tomb, 
which  was  seen  by  both  Mussulmans  and  Christians :  one 
said  it  was  fire  from  heaven,  as  a  mark  of  divine  wrath  at 
an  infidel  having  killed  a  Mussulman,  and  the  others  hailed 
it  as  a  sign  of  the  Deity's  approbation  of  the  conduct  of 
the  deceased :  all  parties,  however,  are  agreed  as  to  the 
fact.  One  with  whom  I  conversed  said  he  saw  the  flame, 
and  described  the  size  of  it  to  me.  Such  an  appearance 
might  easily  present  itself  without  supernatural  aid,  in  a 
country  so  abounding  in  bituminous  productions. 

Sheesha  contains  two  thousand  houses:  three  parts  of 
the  inhabitants  are  Tartars,  and  the  remainder  Armeni- 
ans. The  Tartars  of  the  town,  as  well  as  of  the  whole 
province  of  Karabaugh,  are  of  the  Shiah  sect  of  Mahome- 
tans. The  present  town  was  built  eighty  years  ago  by  a 
Tartar  Prince  :  the  remains  of  the  old  town  are  visible 
at  the  foot  of  the  opposite  hill.  The  lower  parts  of  the 
houses  are  built  of  stone,  with  roofs,  which  are  shelving? 


SHEESHA. — MY  HOST7S  BROTHER.  289 

of  shingle.  The  town  and  fort  are  surrounded  by  a  wall ; 
but  the  natural  advantages  of  the  situation,  on  the  top  of 
an  almost  inaccessible  rock,  have  left  little  occasion  for 
artificial  defence.  The  language  is  a  dialect  of  the  Turk- 
ish ;  but  the  inhabitants,  with  the  exception  of  the  Arme- 
nians, generally  read  and  write  Persian.  The  trade  is 
carried  on  principally  by  the  Armenians,  between  the 
towns  of  Shekhi,  Nakhshevan,  Khoi,  and  Tabriz.  The 
population  was  formerly  greater  than  at  present ;  but  it 
is  beginning  to  increase,  as  numbers  of  the  inhabitants 
who  fled  from  the  oppressions  of  the  Khans,  are  attracted 
back  again  by  the  milder  yoke  of  Russia.  During  my 
stay,  the  thermometer  in  the  daytime  ranged  from  68°  to 
76° ;  the  atmosphere  in  the  town  is  12  or  14  degrees 
cooler  than  the  valley  below. 

The  costume  is  much  the  same  as  the  Persian  ;  the 
greatest  difference  is  in  the  head-dress.  Instead  of  the 
small  Persian  cap,  some  of  the  Karabaughians  have  one  as 
large  as  that  worn  by  a  French  drum-major ;  others  have 
a  cap  fitting  close  to  the  head,  and  bound  round  with  fur. 

June  27. — One  of  my  host's  brothers,  whose  inordinate 
addiction  to  eating  and  drinking  had  brought  on  a  violent 
fit  of  indigestion,  had  applied  to  an  Armenian  doctor,  who 
had  recommended  a  double  allowance  of  the  strong  bitter 
brandy  he  had  been  taking,  and  which  was,  no  doubt, 
the  original  cause  of  his  complaint.  This  prescription,  as 
might  be  supposed,  had  only  added  fuel  to  the  flame,  and 
the  poor  fellow,  gradually  becoming  worse,  was  at  last  in 
a  burning  fever. 

In  this  dilemma,  as  Englishman  and  doctor  are  synony- 
mous terms,  he  applied  to  me  for  assistance,  which  I  gave 
by  administering  calomel,  with  the  reckless  profusion  of 
an  Indian  operator.  The  dose  was  fortunately  attended 
with  most  complete  success ;  and  so  grateful  was  my  pa- 
tient for  the  relief  I  had  occasioned,  that  instead  of  a  fee. 


290  FAME  AS  A  PHYSICIAN. 

he  presented  me  with  a  Georgian  silk  handkerchief,  a 
snuff-box,  and  a  curiously  wrought  purse. 

This  cure  soon  spread  my  fame  through  the  town,  and 
brought  numerous  applicants  for  professional  assistance. 
Defects  of  sight  and  hearing,  and  various  other  difficult 
cases,  were  laid  before  me,  in  the  full  confidence  of  ob- 
taining instant  relief.  Amongst  those  willing  to  become 
my  patients  was  a  handsome  young  married  woman,  who 
began  stating  her  ailments  with  such  minuteness,  that  had 
I  not  interrupted  her  detail,  I  should  soon  have  acquired 
more  professional  information  from  her,  than  I  could  hava 
had  the  opportunity  of  communicating  in  return. 


COSSACK  POSTS.  '-91 


CHAPTER  XXII. 


Cossack  Posts,  Horses,  Cheer — Mode  of  making  Tea — Ruins  of 
Berda— Abundance  of  Game— Lug — River  Kur,  the  Ancient 
Cyrus — Koordameer — The  Na-ib — Shumakhi — Interview  with 
the  Commandant — Town  of  Bakoo — Bazaar— Productions— 
Population — Military  Force — Fire-Temple  of  Indian  Pilgrims 
*— A  Brahmin— A  Viragee — A  Naphtha  Well — My  Servant 
knocked  up — Cossack  Officer — His  Quarters— Breakfast — 
Town  of  Kuba— Kula  Noo — Fall  asleep  on  Horseback — Flood- 
ed state  of  the  river  Samur — Lesguy  Tartars — Russian  notion 
of  English  Radicalism — Major  of  Cossacks — City  of  Dur- 
bund — Ancient  Walls — Population — Extensive  Barracks — 
Russian  Salutation — Dinner — My  new  Servant — His  Appear- 
ance and  Dress — His  easy  Manners — Polite  Attention  of  my 
Host — Departure  from  Durbund — Nervous  Irritability — Vexa- 
tious Delays — My  Servant  a  Catcher  of  Tartars — His  desisting 
from  Sleep. 


At  the  distance  of  every  eight  or  ten  miles,  detach- 
ments of  mounted  Cossacks,  with  relays  of  horses,  are  sta- 
tioned from  Sheesha  to  Bakoo,  and  along  the  banks  of  the 
Caspian  Sea  to  Kizliar,  a  town  skirting  the  great  desert 
of  Astrakhan.  By  the  commandant  of  Sheesha  I  was  fur- 
nished with  an  order  on  all  these  stations  for  five  horses, 
to  carry  myself,  servant,  and  baggage :  I  had  besides,  one, 
and  occasionally  two  Cossacks,  to  escort  me  on  the  road, 
who  also  took  back  the  horses  at  the  end  of  the  stage. 


292  COSSACK  HORSES. — COSSACK  HUTS. 

The  Cossack  horses  here  are  stouter  than  those  of  the 
Don  ;  they  stand  from  twelve  to  thirteen  hands,  and  are 
well  calculated  for  the  mountainous  country  in  which  they 
are  principally  used.  The  saddle  is  a  frame-work  of 
wood,  much  peaked  before  and  behind ;  on  this  is  strap- 
ped a  black  leather  cushion,  which  serves  the  rider  for 
his  pillow  at  night :  after  a  few  days'  riding  I  preferred 
this  to  the  English  saddle. 

I  started  at  six  in  the  morning,  and  arrived  at  nine  at 
the  first  Cossack  station,  the  appearance  of  which  did  not 
impress  me  with  any  favourable  opinion  of  Cossack  com- 
fort. Ten  men  were  huddled  together  in  a  mud  cabin, 
as  closely  as  they  could  well  be  stowed ;  a  few  sheets 
of  dirty  paper  formed  a  substitute  for  glass  windows, 
which,  if  they  admitted  an  imperfect  light,  so  excluded 
the  air  as  to  render  the  abode  extremely  hot  and  ful- 
some. 

The  men  occupying  the  stations  from  Sheesha  to  Kizliar, 
are  Cossacks  of  the  river  Terek.  They  are,  I  believe,  on 
the  same  footing  with  those  of  the  Don  and  Ukraine. 
They  are  free,  serve  for  three  years,  receive  no  pay,  but 
are  fed ;  if  their  horses  die,  others  are  given  them. 

This  day's  march  led  us  through  as  fine  a  country  as 
any  I  had  yet  seen.  Each  turn  of  the  winding  road 
brought  some  new  beauty  to  view ;  the  trees  which 
clothed  the  hills  were  entwined  with  wild  vines,  pro- 
ducing abundance  of  grapes.  On  quitting  the  mountains, 
we  passed  through  extensive  fields  of  corn,  and  we  after- 
wards came  on  a  spacious  plain,  over  which  vast  herds  of 
antelopes  were  bounding  in  every  direction. 

At  sunset,  having  travelled  about  thirty  miles,  we 
forded  the  river  Tartar,  and  halted  for  the  night  at  a 
station  so  called.  Being  very  hungry,  I  sent  my  servant 
to  the  Cossacks  to  purchase  provisions ;  but  he  returned 
with  the  unwelcome  intelligence,  that  black  bread  and 


METHOD  OF  MAKING  TEA.  293 

the  water  of  the  river  formed  their  only  subsistence,  and 
that  even  of  such  miserable  cheer  not  a  crumb  remained. 
I  fared  well  enough  with  Mahometans: — on  arriving 
amongst  Christians,  I  went  supperless  to  bed. 

June  29. — My  object  in  coming  to  this  station  had 
been  to  visit  some  ancient  ruins  at  a  place  called  Berda ; 
but  I  was  informed  that,  Berda  being  out  of  the  road,  I 
could  not  be  supplied  with  horses :  I  also  heard  that  the 
regular  stages  to  Bakoo  were  by  Ganja,  forty  miles  out  of 
the  direct  line.  These  circumstances  being  duly  weighed, 
and  the  cravings  of  an  empty  stomach  thrown  into  the 
scale,  determined  me  to  forego  for  the  present  the  advan- 
tages of  my  order  for  horses,  and  to  take  the  shorter  route 
through  the  Tartar  villages,  trusting  to  the  inhabitants  for 
safe  conduct,  and  still  hoping  for  more  palatable  fare  than 
bread  and  water. 

With  some  little  difficulty,  and  a  small  douceur,  the 
Cossacks  agreed  to  send  me  as  far  as  Berda,  which  I 
reached  in  a  pleasant  march  of  a  couple  of  hours,  along 
the  banks  of  the  river,  through  a  beautiful  forest  of  oaks, 
walnuts,  and  lime-trees.  I  found  here  a  body  of  Tartars 
occupying  some  cane  huts.  Instead  of  indulging  in  idle 
curiosity,  they  all  bustled  about  to  prepare  breakfast,  and 
were  so  expeditious  that  I  was  well  pleased  with  the  re- 
solution I  had  formed. 

As  every  hint  that  will  save  time  is  useful  to  travellers, 
I  strongly  recommend  my  mode  of  making  tea.  I  always 
carried  my  kettle  at  the  bow  of  the  saddle,  and  the  mo- 
ment I  halted,  the  kettle  was  unloosed,  and  in  it  were  put 
water,  tea,  milk  and  sugar,  all  together,  making,  when 
boiled,  a  very  palatable  beverage ;  and  I  saved  by  this 
process,  on  an  average,  about  an  hour  a -day. 

While  at  breakfast  the  Mollah  of  the  village  paid  me 
a  visit,  and  conversed  with  me  in  Persian.  Hearing  that 
I  came  from  India,  he  was  particularly  anxious  to  know 

37 


294  THE  AFGHAUNS.—  RUINS  OF  BERDA. 

any  accounts  relative  to  the  Afghauns,  who,  he  had  heard, 
were  the  most  warlike  people  of  Hindoostan,  with  whom 
his  tribe  boasted  a  common  origin.  In  my  journey  through 
the  province  of  Shirvan  and  the  adjoining  countries,  ques- 
tions respecting  that  nation  were  frequently  asked  me  by 
the  natives,  and  are  worthy  of  remark,  as  they  agree  with 
the  commonly-received  opinion  that  a  colony  from  ancient 
Albania  (Shirvan)  forms  that  tribe  of  Indian  Tartars 
known  by  the  name  of  the  Afghauns.  Amongst  my  notes 
I  find  the  following  extract  from  a  book,  but  do  not  at  this 
moment  recollect  the  name  of  the  author : — **  The  pre- 
sent Shirvan  is  the  country  of  the  ancient  Albanians,  con- 
quered by  Pompey ;  they  are  likewise  called  Alanians  ; 
and  the  Armenians,  who  never  pronounce  the  letter  1, 
who  say  Ghouka  for  Luka,  and  Ighia  for  Ilia,  have  called 
them  Aghouani.  These  ancient  Albanians  have  given  up 
their  country  to  the  Turks,  by  whom  it  is  now  occupied, 
and  have  very  probably  formed  the  nation  of  the  Af- 
ghauns, whom  the  Armenians  acknowledge  as  their  breth- 
ren, though  their  languages  are  now  different,  which  may 
easily  happen,  and  on  which  subject  1  think  I  have  treat- 
ed in  my  Primitive  History. 

The  ruins  at  Berda  are  said  to  be  very  ancient ;  by 
some  thought  to  be  those  of  a  city  of  Amazons,  who,  ac- 
cording to  history,  once  inhabited  this  country  ;  but  while 
the  existence  of  these  female  warriors  is  a  matter  of  doubt, 
the  site  of  one  of  their  cities  does  not  deserve  much  no- 
tice ;  nor  indeed  do  the  appearance  of  these  ruins  justi- 
fy the  assignment  of  an  earlier  date  than  the  beginning 
of  the  Mahometan  era.  A  dilapidated  wall  running  north 
and  south,  can  be  traced  for  upwards  of  a  quarter  of  a 
mile.  At  the  end  of  this,  enclosed  in  a  quadrangular 
fort,  is  a  ruined  mosque  of  glazed  tiles,  like  that  at  Bag- 
dad, attributed  to  Caliph  Alraschid.  Near  the  mosque 
I  was  shown  some  mounds,  which  were  called  the  remains 


ABUNDANCE  OF  GAME.  295 

of  Fire-temples;  and  a  little  further  on  was  the  tomb  of  a 
near  relation  of  Mahomet,  before  which  my  guides  fell  on 
their  faces,  and  remained  prostrate  for  nearly  a  minute. 
The  person  here  buried  is  said  to  have  been  the  grand- 
niece  of  the  Prophet,  which,  if  true,  would  give  to  these 
ruins  as  remote  a  date  as  a  thousand  years. 

We  quitted  Berda  at  eleven,  and  passed  through  a  con- 
tinuation of  the  forest.  The  game  that  I  saw  on  this 
march  is  incredible ;  partridges  were  getting  up  every 
moment  almost  under  the  horses'  feet,  and  hares  literally 
galloped  in  droves  before  us  along  the  road. 

I  was  informed  that  though  the  hare  is  forbidden  to 
be  eaten  by  the  Mahometan  law,  both  the  Sunnis  and 
Shiahs,  inhabiting  this  country,  have  a  dispensation  from 
their  priests,  of  which  however  they  do  not  avail  them- 
selves,  having  a  great  dislike  to  the  taste  of  that  animal. 

A  traveller  who  is  a  sportsman,  and  not  pressed  for 
time,  would  find  many  modes  of  dissipating  the  tedium 
of  his  journey,  as  game  of  every  description  is  most  abun- 
dant, and,  as  I  wa6  told  at  Tabriz,  the  trout-fishing  here 
is  unequalled  in  any  part  of  the  world. 

On  leaving  the  forest  we  came  to  a  small  village  called 
Lug,  and  thence  went  ten  miles  in  an  easterly  direction, 
across  a  marshy  plain,  and  arrived  at  dusk  at  Lumberan, 
where  I  became  the  guest  of  and  the  Ket-khoda  (the  chief 
man)  of  the  village. 

June  30. — I  started  at  sunrise,  with  fresh  horses;  and, 
having  marched  ten  miles  across  a  plain  covered  with  an- 
telopes, arrived  on  the  banks  of  the  Kur,  which  forms  the 
southern  boundary  of  the  extensive  province  of  Shirvan. 
This  river,  the  Cyrus  of  the  ancients,  is  considerably 
larger  than  the  Araxes,  but  less  rapid  in  its  course :  not 
far  hence,  it  receives  the  waters  of  the  Araxes,  and  the 
united  streams  then  disembogue  into  the  Caspian  Sea.  It 
was  on  the  banks  of  this  river  that  Cyrus  was  massacred. 


296  TARTAR  VILLAGES. 

together  with  his  army,  by  the  neighbouring  moun- 
taineers. 

We  hailed  the  village  on  the  opposite  side,  and  a  boat 
was  immediately  sent,  which  conveyed  us  over.  We  here 
speedily  procured  horses,  and  proceeded  to  a  village  ten 
miles  distant,  of  which  I  forget  the  name;  where,  after  a 
delay  of  two  or  three  hours,  we  engaged  some  horses  at 
four  times  the  usual  charge.  The  weather  throughout, 
was  almost  insupportable.  The  sun,  which  had  been  burn- 
ing hot,  took  the  breeze  with  it  as  it  went  down.  As 
night  came  on,  there  was  not  a  breath  of  air,  and  I  had 
to  pass  through  a  swampy  plain,  nearly  suffocated  with 
heat,  and  devoured  by  musquitoes.  I  arrived  at  the  vil- 
lage of  Koordameer,  a  distance  of  thirty-four  miles,  and 
threw  myself  down  to  sleep  in  the  first  vacant  space  I 
could  find. 

July  1. — We  travelled  for  fourteen  miles  over  an  un- 
cultivated plain,  covered  with  low  brushwood,  and  came 
to  a  range  of  mountains,  the  base  of  which  was  for  several 
miles  studded  with  well-wooded  villages,  surrounded  by 
extensive  corn-fields.  In  the  midst  of  these,  stands  a 
town,  where  a  Cossack  post  is  stationed.  I  called  upon 
the  chief  person,  who  is  called  the  Na-ib  (deputy  gover- 
nor:) he  was  seated  in  a  garden,  and  dispensing  justice 
as  I  arrived.  He  was  a  handsome  Tartar,  well  informed., 
and  of  polite  and  easy  address.  Telling  him  I  wished  to 
proceed  as  quickly  as  possible,  he  immediately  sent  for 
my  escort  of  Cossacks,  and  in  a  short  time  set  before  me  a 
comfortable  meal  of  antelope  venison. 

The  Na-ib  pressed  me  very  much  to  stay  two  or  three 
days  with  him,  that  we  might  hunt  together;  but  the 
wish  to  proceed  onwards  surmounted  every  other,  and  as 
soon  as  the  horses  arrived,  I  took  leave  of  this  hospitable 
Tartar. 

The  road  hence  led  over  mountains  abounding  in  plen- 


NOVA  SHUMAKHI.  297 

tiful  crops,  but  with  nothing  else  in  the  appearance  of  the 
scenery  to  recommend  it  to  notice  :  the  range  continued 
to  Nova  Shumakhi,  were  I  arrived  in  the  evening.  This 
town,  once  the  seat  of  government  of  a  Tartar  prince, 
though  now  in  a  dilapidated  state,  exhibits  marks  of  for- 
mer splendour;  the  buildings  are  principally  of  bricks, 
and  the  masonry  is  very  good.  It  is  defended  by  a  quad- 
rangular wall  and  a  broad  ditch.  Like  other  towns  in 
this  turbulent  region,  it  has  felt  the  bad  consequences  of 
so  often  changing  masters.  Its  present  possessors,  the 
Russians,  are  repairing  the  ravages  inflicted  by  Aga  Mo- 
humud,  who  wrested  it  from  the  Tartars  in  the  latter  end 
of  the  last  century.  A  new  street  of  shops,  on  a  Euro- 
pean plan,  is  raising  its  head  from  amongst  the  remains  of 
Asiatic  architecture;  and  the  places  of  Mahometan  wor- 
ship have  been  converted  into  storehouses  and  magazines. 
The  place  where  I  passed  the  night,  had  once  been  a 
Mudrissch,  a  Mahometan  college,  but  now  serves  as  a  Cos- 
sack post-house. 

July  2. — I  had  sent  my  passport  to  be  sealed  and  coun- 
tersigned by  the  Colonel-Commandant  of  this  province, 
whose  head-quarters  are  established  here.  In  the  morn- 
ing it  was  brought  me  by  one  of  his  officers,  with  a  civil 
message  from  the  Commandant,  desiring  to  see  me,  if  not 
inconvenient.  With  the  aid  of  one  of  his  Meerzas  (se- 
cretaries) who  understood  Persian  and  Turkish,  the  Com- 
mandant and  I  managed  to  converse,  till,  hearing  I  spoke 
French,  he  dismissed  the  Meerza,  and  sent  for  an  officer 
who,  he  said,  understood  that  language.  An  awkward 
silence  of  five  minutes  succeeded  the  entrance  of  this  offi- 
cer, who  could  neither  interpret  the  Colonel's  nor  under- 
stand my  observations;  at  last,  he  stammered  out  H  le  Co- 
lonel mange  vous"  which  I,  supposing  to  mean  an  invita- 
tion to  dinner,  declined  :  and  to  relieve  all  parties,  took 
my  leave  of  the  Colonel  and  this  professor  of  the  French 


298  liAKou. 

One  of  the  stations  at  which  I  changed  horses  to-day* 
is  situated  in  the  midst  of  the  ruins  of  the  old  Shumakhi, 
the  Shumakha  of  ancient  history :  fragments  of  stone  walls 
are  still  visible,  and  appear  to  extend  to  a  considerable 
distance,  but  I  was  not  tempted  to  examine  them  more 
minutely. 

July  3. — I  slept  at  a  Cossack  station,  and  started  at 
dawn  of  day  for  Bakoo.  Our  road  was  over  a  range  of 
mountains,  and  as  we  reached  the  highest,  the  Caspian 
Sea  first  came  in  sight,  from  which  the  sun  was  rising  in 
splendid  majesty. 

We  descended  rapidly  from  hence  into  the  low  and 
arid  plain,  at  the  extremity  of  which  is  situated  the  sea- 
port town  of  Bakoo,  where  herds  of  double-humped  ca- 
mels were  cropping  the  scanty  pasture. 

July  4. — Crossing  over  the  drawbridge  of  the  town,  I 
was  stopped  by  the  officer  of  the  main  guard,  to  whom  I 
delivered  my  passport;  but,  as  reading  was  not  one  of  his 
accomplishments,  I  had  to  wait  in  the  sun  till  he  could 
find  some  one  to  decipher  the  document.  As  at  Sheesha, 
I  was  sent  in  charge  of  a  file  of  men  to  the  commandant's 
house,  when,  meeting  the  colonel  of  the  engineers,  who 
spoke  French,  I  became  his  guest  for  the  three  days  I 
remained  here. 

Bakoo,  pleasantly  situated  on  the  peninsula  of  Abosha- 
ron,  is  a  neat,  though  small  sea-port  town,  built  entirely 
of  stone.  It  is  surrounded  by  a  deep  ditch  and  double 
wall  of  stone,  the  western  side  of  which  was  completely 
carried  away  last  year  by  one  of  those  violent  hurricanes 
so  common  in  this  place,  and  from  which  the  name  of  the 
town  is  derived.*     The  roofs  of  the  houses  are  flat,  and 


*  Bakoo,  Badko,  "  literally,  the  Wind  of  the  Mountain ;  so 
named  from  the  violent  gusts  of  wind  which  blow  at  times  from 
the  chasms  cf  the  mountains."— Kinnicr. 


BAKOO. — TEMPLES  OF  THE  MAGI.  299 

covered  with  a  thick  coating  of  naphtha.  There  is  one 
Armenian  church,  and  twenty  mosques;  but  some  are  in 
ruins,  others  have  been  converted  by  the  Russians  into 
magazines  ;  and  the  only  Russian  church  here  was  once  a 
place  of  Mahometan  worship. 

The  bazaar,  which,  though  small  and  narrow,  is  neat 
and  clean,  forms  an  advantageous  contrast  with  the  gene- 
ral appearance  of  these  Asiatic  marts.  There  are  no  ve- 
getables here,  nor,  indeed,  is  there  a  blade  of  vegetation. 
The  water,  which  is  drawn  from  pits  in  the  suburbs,  is 
reckoned  very  wholesome.  The  principal  productions 
are  the  black  and  white  naphtha,  which  are  in  such  abun- 
dance, that  some  of  the  wells  are  said  to  produce  fifteen 
hundred  pounds  a-day.  The  principal  commodities  of 
commerce  are  common  silk  and  small  articles  of  Russian 
manufacture.  The  population  is  computed  at  four  thou- 
sand souls,  which,  with  the  exception  of  a  few  Armeni- 
ans, consists  of  Tartars.  A  force  of  five  hundred  men 
comprises  the  nominal  strength  of  the  garrison ;  but  the 
mortality  is  so  great,  especially  among  the  new  conscripts, 
that  they  have  seldom  more  than  half  that  number  effec- 
tive. 

In  my  evening  strolls  along  the  banks  of  the  Caspian, 
I  had  occasion  to  observe  the  immense  quantity  of  her- 
rings which  had  been  caught  by  the  fishermen  here. 
These  fish,  wliich  are  called  by  the  Persians  the  royal 
fish,  were  the  finest  of  the  speGies  I  had  ever  seen.  I 
have  little  to  remark  respecting  the  Caspian  Sea,  except 
that  the  answers  to  my  inquiries  confirmed  what  has  been 
said  of  it  by  Pallas  and  other  travellers. 

On  the  site  of  the  modern  town,  once  stood  a  city,  ce- 
lebrated in  the  times  of  the  Guebres  for  its  sacred  temples, 
on  the  altars  of  which  blazed  perpetual  flames  of  fire, 
produced  by  ignited  naphtha.  To  this  place  thousands 
of  pilgrims  paid  their  annual  visit,  till  the  second  expe- 


300        ABOSHARON. — HINDOO  FIRE-WORSHIPPERS. 

dition  of  Heraclius  against  the  Persians,  when  he  wintered 
in  these  plains,  and  destroyed  the  temples  of  the  Magi.* 
The  fire  which  fed  these  altars  continues  to  burn,  and  a 
temple  is  still  inhabited  by  pilgrims,  who,  though  not 
Guebres,  still  pay  their  adorations  to  the  holy  flames. 
To  witness  this,  I  had  diverged  so  great  a  distance  from 
the  usual  route  of  travellers  returning  through  Persia  to 
Europe. 

July  6. — I  left  Bakoo  early  this  morning,  attended  by 
my  servant  and  a  Cossack.  Sixteen  miles  north-east  of 
the  town,  on  the  extremity  of  the  peninsula  of  Abosha- 
ron,  I  came,  after  ascending  a  hill,  in  sight  of  the  object 
of  my  curiosity.  The  country  around  is  an  arid  rock. 
Enclosed  within  a  pentagonal  wall,  and  standing  nearly  in 
the  centre  of  the  court,  is  the  fire-temple,  a  small  square 
building,  with  three  steps  leading  up  to  it  from  each  face. 
Three  bells  of  different  sizes  are  suspended  from  the  roof. 
At  each  corner  is  a  hollow  column,  higher  than  the  sur- 
rounding buildings,  from  the  top  of  which  issues  a  bright 
flame ;  a  large  fire  of  ignited  naphtha  is  burning  in  the 
middle  of  the  court,  and  outside  several  places  are  in 
flames.  The  pentagon,  which  on  the  outside  forms  the 
wall,  comprises  in  the  interior  nineteen  small  cells,  each 
inhabited  by  a  devotee.  On  approaching  the  temple,  I 
immediately  recognized,  by  the  features  of  the  pilgrims, 
that  they  were  Hindoos,  and  not  Persian  fire- worship- 
pers, as  I  had  been  taught  to  expect.  Some  of  them 
were  preparing  food.  I  was  much  amused  at  the  surprise 
they  showed  on  hearing  me  converse  in  Hindostanee. 
The  language  they  spoke  was  so  mixed  up  with  the  cor- 
rupt dialect  of  the  Tartars,  that  I  had  some  difficulty 
in  understanding  them.  I  dismounted  from  my  horse, 
and  gave  it  in  charge  to  the  Cossack,  whom  they  would 

*  Gibbon,  vol.  iv.  chap.  xlvi.  page  520,  fol.  edit. 


OFFICIATING  FRUv  />0J 

not  allow  to  enter  the  temple,  giving,  somewhat  incon- 
sistently, as  a  reason,  that  he  was  an  infidel.  I  followed 
one  of  the  pilgrims,  who  first  took  me  into  a  cell  where  a 
Brahmin,  for  so  his  thread  proclaimed  him,  was  engaged 
in  prayer.  The  constitutional  apathy  of  the  Indian  was 
strongly  marked  in  the  reception  this  man  gave  me.  The 
appearance  of  an  armed  European,  it  would  be  supposed, 
would  have  alarmed  one  of  his  timid  caste ;  he  testified, 
however,  neither  fear  nor  surprise,  but  continued  his  de- 
votions, with  his  eyes  fixed  on  the  wall,  not  deigning  to 
honour  me  with  a  look,  till  his  prayers  were  over,  when 
he  calmly  and  civilly  bade  me  welcome  to  his  poor  re- 
treat. 

My  first  acquaintance  and  the  Brahmin  then  accompa- 
nied me  round  the  other  cells,  which  were  whitewashed, 
and  remarkably  clean.  In  one  of  them  was  the  officiat- 
ing priest  of  the  Viragee  caste.  This  faquir  wore  only  a 
small  cloth  round  his  loins ;  he  held  a  piece  of  red  silk  in 
his  right  hand,  and  wore  on  his  head  a  cap  of  tiger's  skin : 
this  is,  I  believe,  emblematical  of  the  life  of  the  wearer, 
who,  on  leaving  the  society  of  man,  is  supposed  to  have 
recourse  to  the  skins  of  wild  beasts  for  a  covering.  In  a 
small  recess  stood  a  figure  of  Vishnoo,  and  near  it  one  of 
Hunoomaun, 

Whom  India  serves,  tfie  monkey  deity. " 

My  acquaintance  with  their  deities  seemed  to  please 
them  much:  one  of  them  said,  "You  know  our  religion 
so  well,  that  I  need  not  tell  you  where  you  ought,  or 
ought  not  to  go."  While  I  was  here,  another  Viragee 
came  in :  he  was  a  stout,  well-looking  man,  with  matted 
locks  and  shaggy  beard,  and  covered  with  a  coarse  camel- 
hair  cloth ;  his  body  was  tattoed  all  over  with  the  figure 
of  Vishnoo. 

38 


302  VIRAGEE  DEVOTEE. 

On  entering  the  temple  he  prostrated  himself  before 
the  image.  The  priest  then  put  into  his  hands  a  small 
quantity  of  oil,  part  of  which  he  swallowed,  and  rubbed 
the  rest  on  his  hair.  This  man  was  once  a  Sepoy  in  the 
Indian  army,  and  had  been  an  orderly  to  a  Colonel  How 
ard  in  the  time  of  Lord  Cornwallis:  he  was  the  only  man 
who  seemed  to  have  any  acquaintance  with  the  English. 
I  was  informed,  that  there  is  a  constant  succession  of  pil- 
grims, who  come  fFom  different  parts  of  India,  and  relieve 
each  other  every  two  or  three  years  in  watching  the  holy 
flame.  This  rule  does  not  apply  to  the  Pundit,  or  Chief, 
who  remains  for  life.  They  spoke  of  their  present  chief 
as  a  man  of  great  learning  and  piety :  as  they  wished  me 
very  much  to  converse  with  him,  I  accompanied  them  to 
his  cell,  which  was  locked :  they  told  me  that  he  was 
either  at  prayers  or  asleep,  but  no  one  offered  to  disturb 
him.  Of  the  pilgrims  present,  five  were  Brahmins,  seven 
Viragees,  five  Sunapeys,  and  two  Yogees.  They  spoke 
favourably  of  the  Russians,  but  with  more  rancour  against 
the  Mahometans  than  is  usual  amongst  Hindoos  for  those 
of  a  different  persuasion.  They  said  that  Nadir  Shah 
treated  their  predecessors  with  great  cruelty;  impaling 
them,  and  putting  them  to  several  kinds  of  tortures.  All 
these  faquirs  were  very  civil  and  communicative,  with  the 
exception  of  one  Viragee,  the  severest  caste  of  Indian  as- 
cetics :  he  was  quite  a  Diogenes  in  his  way ;  and,  when 
asked  to  accompany  me,  called  out  that  it  was  no  business 
of  his. 

Outside  the  temple  is  a  well :  I  tasted  the  water,  which 
was  strongly  impregnated  with  naphtha.  A  pilgrim  co- 
vered this  well  over  with  two  or  three  nummuds  for  five 
minutes ;  he  then  warned  every  one  to  go  to  a  distance, 
and  threw  in  a  lighted  straw ;  immediately  a  large  flame 
issued  forth,  the  noise  and  appearance  of  which  resembled 
the  explosion  of  a  tumbril.     The  pilgrims  wished  me  to 


NAPHTHA. COSSACK  OFFICER.  303 

stay  till  dark,  to  see  the  appearance  at  night ;  but  the 
bright  prospect  of  home  in  the  distance  got  the  better  of 
curiosity,  and  made  me  hurry  forward.  I  passed  several 
villages,  the  inhabitants  of  which  were  employed  in  col- 
lecting black  and  white  naphtha,  and  arrived  at  a  Cossack 
station  in  the  evening. 

July  7. — In  the  first  part  of  this  march  the  road  led 
principally  along  the  seashore ;  the  country,  throughout, 
is  a  salt  desert,  which  continues  till  within  twenty  versts 
of  Kuba. 

In  my  anxiety  to  proceed  at  a  quicker  pace,  I  so  com- 
pletely knocked  up  my  servant,  that  he  could  with  diffi- 
culty be  prevented  from  falling  out  of  his  saddle.  After 
a  hot  and  fatiguing  march,  we  arrived  at  a  Cossack  station, 
where  I  purposed  breakfasting ;  but  my  exhausted  do- 
mestic had  no  sooner  dismounted,  than  he  threw  himself 
into  the  first  shady  spot  he  could  find,  and  was  soon  in  a 
profound  slumber,  leaving  me  without  breakfast,  or  the 
power  to  make  known  my  wants.  Thinking  I  should 
only  lose  time  by  disturbing  the  poor  fellow's  rest,  I  let 
him  sleep  on,  and  sate  down  on  my  baggage,  hungry  and 
dispirited.  In  this  mood  I  was  accosted  by  a  gigantic 
personage,  whose  face,  studded  with  pimples,  was  curi- 
ously set  off  by  his  huge  Tartar  cap.  The  rest  of  his 
person  was  incased  in  a  cloke  formed  of  undressed  sheep- 
skins, with  the  wool  worn  inside.  He  turned  out  to  be 
the  officer  of  the  station,  and  was  one  of  those  Cossacks 
who  visited  Paris  in  1815 ;  and  whose  Tartar  skill  in  spo» 
liation  must  be  still  fresh  in  the  recollection  of  the  Pa- 
risians. 

In  a  friendly  growl,  which  he  intended  to  be  French, 
I  distinguished  the  word  dejeuner :  immediately  at  the 
sound,  I  followed  him  into  a  wretched  hovel,  to  which  he 
welcomed  me  with  an  apologetic  sigh.  The  chamber  was 
about  twelve  feet  square,  and  lighed  by  three  small  panes 


304  MY  SERVANT  KNOCKED  UP. 

of  glass  and  a  few  sheets  of  oiled  paper ;  a  uniform  coat, 
a  pair  of  pantaloons,  a  sabre,  a  cartouch-box,  and  a  pair 
of  pistols,  suspended  from  several  nails,  were  the  only  de- 
corations of  the  mud  walls ;  and  a  bed  of  straw,  with  the 
black  saddle  cushion  for  a  pillow,  formed  the  couch  of  the 
warrior.  For  the  humble  appearance  of  the  dwelling  I 
had  been  prepared  ;  but  bitter  was  the  disappointment  on 
observing  the  meal  which  he  had  dignified  with  the  name 
of  dejeuner.  Bread,  the  blackest  and  heaviest  I  ever 
tasted  ;  water  not  of  the  cleanest,  three  cucumbers,  and 
a  tough  strip  of  salt  fish,  formed  this  morning's  sorry  bill 
of  fare. 

After  breakfast,  I  returned  to  my  servant,  and  sate 
watching  his  eyes  for  two  hours,  which,  in  my  impa- 
tience, I  thought  never  would  re-open.  At  length  he 
awoke,  and  with  the  assistance  of  a  hearty  shake,  which 
I  gave  to  prevent  a  relapse  into  drowsiness,  he  was  so  far 
recovered  as  to  be  hoisted  into  the  saddle,  and  we  again 
got  under  weigh. 

From  this  day  to  that  on  which  we  parted,  the  poor 
Persian  became  worse  than  useless :  as,  instead  of  his 
being  of  any  assistance  to  me,  I  had  to  wait  upon  him, 
and  to  use  every  means  of  persuasion  to  induce  him  to 
continue  the  journey.  On  arriving  at  the  end  of  the 
stage,  I  discovered  that  I  had  left  behind  me  the  order 
for  horses,  but  the  sergeant  on  the  station,  after  making  a 
few  difficulties,  which  were  silenced  by  a  small  fee,  al- 
lowed me  to  proceed.  I  halted  at  a  Cossack  station,  after 
a  cool  moonlight  ride  along  the  seashore. 

July  7. — The  appearance  of  the  country  improves  as 
we  approach  the  district  of  Kuba,  the  most  fertile  part  of 
Shirvan.  The  villages  are  thickly  inhabited,  and  the 
cultivation  abundant. 

July  8. — At  mid-day  I  reached  Kuba,  once  the  resi- 
dence of  a  Tartar  Khan,  but  now  in  possession  of  the 


EFFECTS  OF  DROWSINESS.  305 

Russians,  who  have  here  a  garrison  of  three  thousand 
men. 

Kuba  stands  in  an  elevated  situation  on  the  banks  of  the 
river  Deli,  a  rapid  stream,  which,  issuing  from  the  Cauca- 
sus, flows  into  the  Caspian  Sea.  Except  towards  the  river, 
the  steep  banks  of  which  are  a  sufficient  protection,  the 
town  is  defended  by  fortified  walls.  The  population  is 
computed  at  about  five  thousand  souls,  one-third  of  which 
are  Jews.  As  I  had  no  order  for  horses,  I  applied  to  the 
commandant  for  assistance,  who,  saying  that  the  Cossack 
horses  were  most  probably  engaged  on  public  employ, 
gave  me  an  order,  in  Turkish,  on  the  villages. 

The  country,  for  several  versts,  is  populous,  well  cul- 
tivated, and  abounding  in  wood  and  water.  I  passed 
through  a  forest  of  lofty  trees,  and  saw  large  parties  of 
soldiers  employed  in  felling  timber  for  building.  After 
fording  a  river,  I  came  to  a  commanding  eminence,  called 
Kula  Noo,  (New  Fort,)  where  two  hundred  Russian  sol- 
diers were  employed  in  building  barracks  on  a  very  ex- 
tensive scale. 

From  the  first  setting  out  in  this  expedition,  I  had  tried 
in  vain  to  shake  off  the  painful  feeling  of  drowsiness  with 
which  I  had  always  been  assailed  at  some  period  of  the 
day's  march.  This  evening,  however,  I  fell  sound  asleep 
in  my  saddle  for  three  hours;  and  though  the  road  led 
over  precipitous  mountains,  I  did  not  awake  until  I  had 
arrived  at  the  station,  when  I  was  roused  by  the  Cossacks, 
who  had  spread  my  mattress  for  me  in  the  middle  of  the 
yard. 

July  9. — I  found  here  three  Cossack  officers,  who  in- 
formed me  that,  had  I  been  able  to  have  forded  the 
river  Samur  at  the  usual  place,  I  should  have  reached 
Durbund  in  a  journey  of  forty  versts,  but  the  river  had 
become  so  swelled  by  the  sudden  melting  of  the  snows  on 
Mount  Caucasus,  that  I  should  be  obliged  to  travel  double 
the  distance, 


306  RIVER  SAMUR. 

I  proceeded  a  considerable  way  along  the  banks  of 
this  angry  torrent,  and  afterwards  passed  through  se- 
veral villages.  At  one  of  them  I  met  with  an  officer 
in  charge  of  specie  for  the  troops;  finding  we  were  both 
about  to  cross  the  river,  I  breakfasted  with  him,  and 
then  accompanied  him  to  the  water's  edge.  The  coun- 
try, as  we  proceeded,  was  extremely  flooded,  and  our 
progress  slow  in  consequence  of  the  difficulty  of  getting 
the  treasure-wagons  through  the  muddy  ground. 

We  forded  the  river  at  about  twenty-five  versts  from 
the  last  station,  but  the  torrent  was  running  with  such 
violence,  that  we  were  nearly  three  hours  in  reaching  the 
opposite  bank,  which  we  could  not  have  done  without  the 
timely  assistance  of  the  neighbouring  mountaineers.  The 
Samur,  ancient  Albanus,  is  three  hundred  and  fifty  yards 
wide,  and  not  more  than  four  feet  deep ;  large  heaps  of 
stone  are  dispersed  over  the  surface,  and  render  the  pas- 
sage rugged  and  dangerous.  In  crossing  the  Samur  we 
quit  the  province  of  Shirvan,  and  enter  on  the  southern 
boundary  of  the  Lesguistan.  In  the  natives  of  this  coun- 
try we  again  fall  in  with  a  tribe  possessing  the  same  wan- 
dering and  predatory  habits  as  the  numerous  hordes  which 
I  have  passed  in  the  course  of  this  journey.  The  Lesguis 
are  reckoned  the  bravest  people  of  Mount  Caucasus.  Till 
within  a  very  few  years,  they  proved  most  formidable 
enemies  to  their  Russian  neighbours ;  but  now,  owing  to 
the  late  encroachments  of  the  latter  nation,  they  are  in  a 
state  of  subjection.  They  occasionally,  however,  make  a 
gallant  stand  in  defence  of  the  liberty  they  had  enjoyed 
from  time  immemorial.  When  I  was  at  Tabriz,  I  had 
heard  of  a  Russian  force  being  sent  against  the  Lesguis, 
and  I  had  expected,  on  my  arrival  here,  to  find  that  the 
two  countries  were  engaged  in  war ;  but  I  was  one  day 
set  right  by  a  Russian  officer,  who,  alluding  to  the  expe- 
dition against  the  Lesguis,  said,  that  the  affair  was  a  mere 


MAJOR  OF  COSSACKS.  307 

trifle;  which,  by  way  of  illustration,  he  compared  to  our 
mode  of  quelling  an  English  insurrection,  when  we  occa- 
sionally send  "  a  brigade  of  troops  against  Hunt  and  his 
army  of  Radicals." 

Once,  on  the  opposite  shore,  I  quitted  the  convoy  of 
my  comrade,  and  proceeded  at  a  quicker  rate  over  a  well- 
cultivated  country.  Reapers,  consisting  entirely  of  fe- 
males, were  gathering  in  the  harvest.  In  one  spacious 
field  I  saw  no  less  than  a  hundred  women  at  work.  In 
the  evening  I  bivouacked,  as  usual,  at  a  Cossack  station. 

July  10. — In  the  morning  the  sergeant  was  very  im- 
pertinent; would  pay  no  attention  to  my  Tartar  order  for 
horses,  and  would  not  furnish  me  with  any.  Soon  after, 
a  Major  of  Cossacks,  a  personage  with  a  round  hat  and  a 
long  beard,  and  attended  by  an  orderly,  rode  up,  and,  on 
hearing  the  sergeant's  story,  supported  him  in  his  refusal. 
As  the  major  was  very  haughty  and  uncivil,  I  put  on  as 
big  a  look  as  I  could  assume,  and,  producing  my  passport 
with  the  signatures  of  several  Russian  commandants,  told 
him  to  decline  furnishing  me  with  horses  at  his  peril. 
This  blustering  had  the  desired  effect,  for  the  major  mut- 
tered a  few  words,  looked  exceedingly  foolish,  and  then 
galloped  away,  leaving  me  for  a  moment  in  doubt  of  my 
application ;  but  this  was  soon  dispelled  by  the  sudden 
appearance  of  the  sergeant  with  the  horses,  who,  with  a 
crest-fallen  look,  and  in  the  most  submissive  manner,  held 
the  stirrup  for  me  to  mouat.  This  major  is  nearly  the 
only  Russian  officer  from  whom  I  experienced  uncivil 
treatment.  I  changed  horses  ten  versts  distant,  and  at 
mid-day  reached  Durbund.  I  immediately  reported  my- 
self to  the  Commandant,  who,  in  the  most  hospitable  man- 
ner, assigned  me  a  good  quarter,  introduced  me  to  his 
lady,  and  invited  me  to  dine  and  breakfast  with  him  dur- 
ing my  stay.  In  the  afternoon  he  sent  me  one  of  his  horses, 
and  accompanied  me  in  a  ride  over  the  town. 


308  DURBUND. 

The  modern  capital  of  the  province  of  Durbund,  Ba- 
ghestan,  stands  on  the  site  of  the  city  of  Albania,  and 
corresponds  in  position  with  the  Mbanise  pylse  of  the  an- 
cients. The  walls,  which  are  of  undoubted  antiquity, 
are  visible  from  the  height  of  the  mountain,  and,  by  the 
appearance  of  the  water,  may  be  traced  a  considerable 
distance  into  the  Caspian  Sea.  These  divide  the  city  into 
three  compartments;  the  highest,  comprising  a  square  of 
half-a-mile,  constitutes  the  citadel.  The  town  is  in  the 
centre,  and  there  are  a  few  gardens  in  the  lower  division. 
Near  the  sea,  I  was  shown  the  foundation  of  a  house  built 
by  Peter  the  Great,  who  visited  this  city  soon  after  it  had 
been  taken  by  the  Russians.  The  highest  portion  of  the 
walls  is  in  the  middle  division,  and  is  about  thirty  feet 
high,  twenty  thick  at  the  foundation,  decreasing  to  twelve 
in  the  upper  part,  over  which  is  a  parapet  three  feet 
thick. 

The  walls  are  built  of  a  compact  stone  of  a  dark  colour, 
and  consist  of  large  blocks :  the  cement  which  binds  them 
together,  is  concealed  by  the  insertion  of  a  narrow  slip 
of  stone  between  each.  Sixty  bastions  protrude  at  regu- 
lar intervals.  One  of  the  gates  towards  the  north,  pro- 
bably that  which  had  been  most  in  ruins,  has  lately  been 
repaired  by  the  Russians,  who  have  adorned  it  with  an 
inscription  in  their  language :  the  new  works  set  off  to  ad^ 
vantage  the  more  ancient  appearance  of  the  other  parts 
of  the  buildings.  Over  another  of  the  gates,  is  an  inscrip- 
tion by  Chosroes,  King  of  Persia,  in  whose  possession  it 
was  prior  to  the  Mahometan  era;  and  so  impressed  was 
he  with  the  importance  of  the  place,  that  he  granted  the 
governors  the  privilege  of  sitting  on  a  golden  throne, 
which  once  gave  a  name  to  the  city.  There  are  various 
conjectures  as  to  the  founder  of  these  walls,  though  all 
are  agreed  upon  their  high  antiquity.  Some  say  they 
are  the  celebrated  Gog  and  Magog  of  history :  others 


ANCIENT  WALLS. — POPULATION.  309 

that  they  were  founded  by  Alexander  the  Great,  though 
it  seems  quite  improbable  that  he  could  ever  have  come  so 
far  as  this  place.  There  are  others,  again,  who  affirm  that 
the  founder  was  another  Alexander,  who  flourished  several 
centuries  before  the  Macedonian  hero.  The  universal  be- 
lief among  the  Orientals  is,  that  the  wall  formerly  extend- 
ed hence  to  the  Black  Sea ;  and  though  the  Russian  officers 
told  me  that  remains  have  been  seen  in  the  Caucasus  to  a 
great  distance,  I  have  the  authority  of  Major  Monteith 
(who  has  frequently  attempted  to  discover  them,)  that  no 
traces  whatever  are  visible  in  any  part  of  Georgia.  The 
most  probable  conjecture  appears  to  be,  that  the  wall  ter- 
minates in  some  strong  feature  of  the  Caucasus,  and  was 
built  for  the  purpose  of  closing  this  pass  against  the  inva- 
sion of  the  northern  Tartars. 

In  more  modern  times,  Durbund  has  alternately  been 
in  the  hands  of  Turks,  Tartars,  Arabs,  Persians,  and  Rus- 
sians ;  the  latter  nation  having  now  possession  of  it  for  the 
second  time.  The  number  of  the  inhabitants,  independ- 
ent of  the  Russian  garrison,  is  estimated  at  twelve  thou- 
sand ;  and  comprises  a  nuxed  population  of  Armenians, 
Georgians,  Mahometans,  principally  of  the  Sunni  persua- 
sion, and  of  Jews ;  of  which  religion  there  are  great  num- 
bers along  the  coast,  and,  as  I  am  informed,  throughout 
the  interior  of  Mount  Caucasus. 

The  bazaar  is  tolerably  good,  but  the  houses  are  mean 
and  poor.  I  understand  that  General  Yermoloff,  the  com- 
mander-in-chief of  Georgia,  intends  pulling  down  the  old 
town  and  building  it  anew.  To  the  south  of  the  town  is 
a  large  tract  of  cultivated  land,  laid  out  in  corn  fields  and 
vineyards ;  and  there  are  some  gardens  which  produce 
abundance  of  a  variety  of  fruits,  the  white  mulberry  among 
others ;  a  great  quantity  of  saffron  is  also  grown  here.  My 
guides  took  me  to  the  burying-ground,  as  many  of  the 
tombs  are  said  to  be  very  ancient.     The  tomb-stones  are 

39 


310   SALUTATION. — DINNER. — TARTAR  SERVANT. 

round  blocks  of  marble,  with  inscriptions  in  the  Cufic  cha- 
racter. Several  were  pointed  out  as  belonging  to  some 
Tartar  Princes,  who  died  in  this  spot  with  sword  in  hand, 
while  fighting  in  defence  of  their  religion. 

July  11. — This  morning  (Sunday)  the  Commandant 
took  me  to  dine  with  the  colonel  of  a  regiment  quartered 
in  the  neighbourhood.  The  colonel  received  me  with 
much  politeness,  and  introduced  me  to  his  lady,  a  lively 
and  pretty  Livonian,  who,  I  was  pleased  to  find,  spoke 
French  fluently.  The  officers  as  well  as  the  men  occu- 
pied temporary  buildings,  made  of  the  branches  of  trees; 
but  barracks  on  an  extensive  scale  were  preparing  for 
their  reception.  While  dinner  was  getting  ready  we 
went  round  the  buildings,  which  are  all  of  stone,  and  will 
have  a  grand  appearance.  This  work  is  performed  en- 
tirely by  the  soldiers :  and  the  colonel  informed  me,  that 
there  was  not  a  man  in  the  regiment  who  did  not  follow 
some  trade.  On  my  return  to  the  room,  the  company, 
consisting  of  the  officers  of  the  regiment  and  the  staff-of- 
ficers of  the  garrison,  were  thronging  in.  I  here  saw, 
for  the  first  time,  the  Russian  salutation.  Every  officer, 
on  entering,  took  the  right  hand  of  the  hostess  and  pressed 
it  to  his  lips,  while  she  at  the  same  moment  kissed  his 
cheek.  Dinner  was  prefaced  by  a  glass  of  brandy  and  a 
piece  of  salt-fish.  The  ladies,  of  whom  there  were  seve- 
ral, seated  themselves  together :  the  post  of  honour  next 
our  fair  hostess,  was  assigned  to  me  as  the  stranger ;  the 
band  played  during  dinner;  after  which  the  company 
(with  the  exception  of  myself,  who  took  a  siesta,)  sat 
down  to  cards. 

July  12. — My  Persian  servant,  hearing  I  intended  to 
resume  the  journey  this  afternoon,  told  me  that  he  would 
not,  for  any  sum  that  I  could  offer,  accompany  me  again; 
but  as  I  had  also  determined  that  nothing  should  induce 
me  to  take  him  further,  I  had,  with  the  assistance  of  the 


HIS  DRESS,  AND  EASY  MANNERS.  311 

Commandant,  provided  myself  with  a  substitute,  who 
made  his  appearance  this  morning  ready  equipped  for 
the  march.  He  was  a  tall,  fearless-looking  Tartar,  up- 
wards of  six  feet  high,  with  large,  fierce  black  eyes,  an 
aquiline  nose,  and  a  pair  of  mustaches  that  nearly  covered 
his  face.  His  dress,  the  same  as  that  worn  by  other  Les- 
guy  Tartars,  consisted  of  a  low  cap  fitting  close  to  the 
head  and  bound  round  with  fur,  which  being  of  the  same 
colour  as  his  mustaches,  heightened  the  ferocity  of  his 
weather-beaten  features.  A  robe  of  blue  stuff  extended 
to  the  knee ;  on  each  breast  were  fixed  a  row  of  painted 
cartridge  cases ;  a  narrow  leather  strap  bound  his  loins, 
and  in  it  were  stuck  a  flint,  a  steel,  a  small  tobacco-pipe, 
a  handsome  dagger,  a  pair  of  pistols,  and  a  Tartar  whip, 
consisting  of  two  thick  thongs.  On  his  feet  he  wore  a 
sort  of  sandal,  which  was  fixed  on  with  lacings  bound 
tightly  round  the  leg  up  to  the  knee.  This,  I  have  ob- 
served, is  common  to  the  mountaineers  of  Coordistan  and 
Persia,  as  well  as  throughout  the  line  of  Caucasus,  and 
is  probably  of  use  in  supporting  the  muscles  of  the  leg 
when  ascending  a  height.  The  crossed  pattern  of  the 
Scotch  Highlander's  tartan  hose,  may  possibly  have  some 
allusion  to  this  mode  of  binding. 

In  mentioning  my  Tartar's  equipment,  I  had  almost 
forgotten  the  most  material  article,  for  such  he  considered 
it — a  quart  bottle  of  Russian  arrack,  to  which  he  always 
resorted  on  the  journey,  as  his  only  and  infallible  cure  for 
hunger,  thirst,  and  fatigue. 

The  free  and  easy  manner  of  this  fellow  towards  myself 
was  curiously  contrasted  with  the  respectful  deportment 
to  which  I  had  been  accustomed  from  his  predecessor, 
who  never  addressed  me  but  with  the  title  of  Jenaub  (ex- 
cellency,) nor  spoke  of  himself  but  as  my  bundah  (slave.) 

My  stipulation  with  the  Tartar  was  that  he  should  ac- 
company me  to  Kizliar,  and  for  this  he  should  receive  a 
tomaun  a  day,  provided  he  was  always  on  the  alert,  and 


312  DEPARTURE  FROM  DURBUND. 

was  content  with  the  small  portion  of  sleep  I  shoujd  allow 
him.  He  immediately  replied,  that  he  would  not  sleep 
at  all ;  a  promise  which,  to  the  best  of  my  belief,  he  faith- 
fully kept.  The  bargain  was  scarcely  concluded,  when 
the  Persian,  in  an  earnest  tone  of  remonstrance,  spoke  a 
few  words  to  him  in  Turkish,  which  I  found  were  in- 
tended to  dissuade  him  from  accompanying  me,  saying 
that,  if  he  did,  he  would  certainly  die  of  fatigue.  In  re- 
ply to  this  friendly  caution,  the  Tartar  cast  a  contemptu- 
ous glance  at  his  adviser,  and  turning  round  familiarly  to 
me  loudly  exclaimed,  "God  be  praised,  we  are  not  Per- 
sians !" 

As  a  small  acknowledgment  for  the  truly  kind  and  hos- 
pitable behaviour  of  the  Commandant  towards  myself,  I 
made  him  a  present  of  my  pistols ;  and  he  in  return  gave 
me  a  handsome  Lesguy  dagger,  and  a  curious  segar  tube. 
At  two  o'clock  we  sate  down  to  a  farewell  dinner;  after 
which,  as  I  was  preparing  to  take  my  leave,  several  ladies 
of  the  garrison,  attracted  perhaps  by  curiosity,  came  to 
see  the  English  officer :  at  this  I  was  of  course  well  pleased, 
as  it  gave  me  an  opportunity,  at  parting,  of  practising  the 
Russian  mode  of  salute. 

I  had  ordered  the  baggage  to  be  packed,  and  every 
thing  to  be  got  ready  by  four  o'clock.  At  the  appoint- 
ed hour,  my  Tartar  arrived  with  six  men,  whom  the 
Commandant  had  sent  to  escort  me  to  the  first  Cossack 
station,  commanded  by  a  Major,  his  particular  friend,  to 
whom  he  gave  me  a  letter  of  introduction.  This  stage 
was  only  ten  miles ;  but,  my  object  in  leaving  Durbund 
in  the  afternoon  being  to  avoid  the  probable  detention  at 
the  barrier  in  the  morning,  I  accepted  the  Majors  invi- 
tation to  sup  with  him,  and  take  up  my  quarters  for  the 
night. 

July  14,  15. — I  find  a  chasm  of  these  two  days  in  the 
notes  of  the  journal;  an  omission  attributable  to  the  anxiety 
I  felt  to  hurry  forward  on  the  journey*  which  sensation 


A  CATCHER  OF  TARTARS.  olo 

superseded  every  other,  and  rendered  me  as  incapable  of 
mental  exertion,  as  insensible  to  bodily  fatigue.  In  this 
nervous  state  I  could  find  but  little  time  for  meals  and 
rest,  and  still  less  for  paying  the  necessary  attention  to 
the  objects  of  interest  on  the  march.  Thus  I  continued 
travelling  night  and  day,  availing  myself  of  the  occasional 
delay  in  changing  horses  to  procure  a  few  hours'  sleep. 

Notwithstanding  the  hurry  I  was  in,  our  progress  was 
but  slow.  Vexatious  delays  were  sure  to  occur  at  every 
stage,  the  Cossack  posts  not  having  been  long  established : 
at  one  place,  the  horses  were  out  in  the  fields ;  at  another, 
they  had  just  arrived  from  a  stage;  in  short,  I  had  fre- 
quently to  lament,  that  though  always  a  great  loser  of  pa- 
tience, I  was  not  often  a  proportionate  gainer  of  time. 

With  no  such  stimulus  to  exertion  as  that  by  which  I 
was  actuated,  my  indefatigable  servant  was  fully  as  much 
on  the  alert  as  myself  during  the  march,  and,  as  I  said  be- 
fore, never  slept  a  wink  during  our  occasional  halts.  This 
habit  of  wakefulness  he  had  acquired  as  a  "  Catcher  of 
Tartars;"  a  situation  in  which  he  had  been  employed  by 
General  Yermoloff,  when  the  road  was  infested  by  the 
Lesguy  hordes. 

Though  I  have  no  notes,  I  remember  arriving  on  the 
night  of  the  14th  at  a  Cossack  station,  where,  as  was  my 
custom,  I  reclined  with  my  face  towards  the  east,  that  I 
might  have  the  advantage  of  the  sun's  earliest  rays  to 
rouse  me  from  slumbers  which  a  restless  spirit  grudgingly 
considered  as  so  much  lost  time. 

As  I  was  about  to  fall  asleep,  the  bright  light  of  the 
moon  was  reflected  on  the  huge  figure  of  the  Tartar.  He 
was  sitting  by  my  pillow,  a  bottle  of  arrack  was  in  his  lap, 
and  his  glaring  eyes  were  watching  mine.  At  dawn  of 
day  1  awoke,  and  beheld  him  seated  exactly  in  the  same 
position  ;  and,  but  for  the  evident  diminution  in  the  con- 
tents of  the  bottle,  I  should  have  given  him  credit  for 
having  stirred  neither  hand  nor  foot, 


314  DISTIHCT  OF  SHAMKHAUL. 


CHAPTER  XXIII. 


District  of  Shamkhaul-— The  Shamkhaul — Tarkee— A  little  Ama- 
zon— River  Koi  Soui — Extraordinary  Flight  of  Locusts — No- 
gai  Tartars— .Quarantine-house— Arrive  at  Kizliarj  am  the 
Guest  of  a  friend  of  my  Servant's — The  Town,  Population,  and 
produce— My  new  Servant,  a  Jew  boy— Anecdote — Departure 
from  Kizliar— My  new  Equipage — Post-horses,— Cossack  and 
Kalmuck  Drivers — Locusts  in  the  Desert— Quarantine — Arri- 
val at  Astrakhan— Scotch  Missionary-house— Alexander  Cas- 
sim  Beg — Obstacles  to  the  Missionaries — Their  Privileges — 
City  of  Astrakhan— Population— Variety  of  Costume— Prison- 
er begging — Russian  Charity — Trade — Salt — Productions—- 
Indecent  Custom — Sturgeon  Fishery. 

July  16. — We  passed  through  the  populous  and  beau- 
tiful district  of  Shamkhaul,  the  name  of  which  formerly 
gave  the  title  to  the  Prince  of  the  country.  The  present 
representative  of  the  family,  though  stripped  of  his  au- 
thority by  the  Russians,  is  indulged  by  them  with  the 
honorary  rank  of  Lieutenant-general  in  their  army,  and 
with  the  permission  to  retain  the  appellation  of  his  an- 
cestors. 

The  capital  of  this  district  is  Tarkee ;  but  the  Sham- 
khaul himself  resides  in  a  romantic  village,  situate  on  the 
brow  of  an  eminence,  which  commands  a  beautiful  view 
of  undulating  mountains  clothed  with  trees,  and  verdant 
valleys  traversed  by  numerous  rills. 

My  Tartar  had  so  excited  ray  curiosity  by  a  description 


THE  SHAMKIIAUL. TARKEE.  315 

of  the  Shamkhaul,  that  I  diverged,  from  the  direct  road 
to  see  him,  and,  on  my  arrival,  presented  him  with  a  let- 
ter from  the  friendly  Commandant  of  Darbund,  which  I 
hoped  would  procure  me  an  invitation  to  dinner,  as  my 
servant  had  particularly  enumerated  a  love  of  good  living 
among  his  estimable  qualities. 

In  this  scion  of  a  royal  stock,  who  is  celebrated  for  eat- 
ing a  whole  sheep  at  a  meal,  I  beheld  an  unwieldy,  red- 
bearded  Tartar,  with  a  forbidding  countenance,  that  at 
once  destroyed  all  hopes  of  a  dinner.  Our  interview  was 
short ;  he  was  nearly  the  first  uncivil  Mahometan  I  had 
met,  so  I  lost  no  time  in  remounting  my  horse,  and  tried 
at  parting  to  return  with  interest  the  cavalier  deportment 
with  which  I  had  been  received.  I  did  not  arrive  at 
Tarkee  till  four  o'clock  the  following  morning,  having 
been  twenty- two  hours  on  the  march. 

July  17. — I  resumed  the  journey  after  five  hours' 
rest,  and  did  not  stop  to  look  at  Tarkee,  which  contains 
a  garrison  of  Russians :  it  is  considered  half-way  between 
Kizliar  and  Durbund.  I  crossed  the  Tarkali-oozan,  and 
arrived  at  a  small  village  in  the  afternoon. 

On  dismounting,  my  stirrup  was  held  by  a  fair  and 
handsome-looking  person,  who  proved  to  be  a  female. 
Admiration  of  a  military  life  had  induced  her  to  deprive 
herself  of  her  fair  tresses,  and  to  wear  the  dress  of  a  man, 
preparatory,  as  she  said,  to  offering  her  services  to  the 
Emperor  as  a  soldier.  Hearing  I  was  in  the  army,  she 
told  me,  that,  if  she  had  been  a  little  older,  she  would 
have  accompanied  me.  I  told  her  that  she  would  be  re- 
jected, from  her  feminine  appearance ;  but  she  said,  she 
would  cut  off  her  breasts,  whenever  they  were  too  large 
for  concealment.  On  taking  leave  of  this  little  Amazon, 
I  gave  her  an  old  aiguillette,  which  she  accepted  with 
great  delight,  and  strutted  off  with  it  on  her  shoulder,  to 
the  no  small  amusement  of  the  villagers. 


316  A  FLIGHT  OF  LOCUSTS. 

At  midnight  I  reached  the  river  Koi  Soui,  which  di- 
vides a  large  Tartar  village,  occupied  by  a  party  of  Rus- 
sians. The  commanding  officer  of  the  detachment,  (a 
lieutenant)  had  been  in  bed  some  time,  but,  hearing  of  my 
arrival,  ordered  refreshments  to  be  prepared ;  and  such 
was  his  strict  sense  of  discipline,  that  nothing  would  in- 
duce him  to  be  seated  in  the  presence  of  one  he  consider- 
ed his  superior  officer. 

July  18. — We  crossed  the  river  in  the  morning,  and 
marched  thirty  versts  in  a  northern  direction  over  a  level 
plain. 

Looking  towards  the  east,  I  observed  an  opaque  body 
moving  gradually  forward.  It  was  a  flight  of  locusts,  so 
large  as  to  have  the  appearance  of  a  black  cloud  extendi 
ing  over  the  horizon.  "  They  covered  the  face  of  the 
whole  earth,  so  that  the  land  was  darkened. "  These 
winged  strangers,  more  formidable  than  the  banditti  of 
the  country,  had  destroyed  every  blade  of  vegetation, 
and  had  turned  a  well-cultivated  plain  into  a  desolate 
waste. 

The  Nogai  Tartars,  with  whom  we  now  were,  differed 
in  features  from  the  handsome  tribes  occupying  the  coun- 
tries we  had  just  quitted.  They  had  thicker  lips,  flatter 
noses,  smaller  eyes,  and  that  peculiar  expression  of  coun- 
tenance common  to  their  race.  Scattered  over  the  plain 
were  several  large  encampments  of  bell-shaped  tents, 
which  had  a  very  picturesque  appearance.- 

In  the  afternoon,  I  arrived  at  the  Quarantine-house,  a 
small  fort  surrounded  by  an  inconsiderable  ditch.  I  wished 
to  have  continued  my  journey,  but  the  commandant, 
though  he  said  he  would  not  detain  me,  was  so  pressing 
in  his  invitation,  that  I  halted  for  the  night. 

July  19. — I  reached  Kizliar,  only  ten  versts  distant,  at 
an  early  hour.  Not  knowing  where  to  find  a  lodging,  I 
followed  my  servant,  who  offered  me  the  hospitality  of  a 


POPULATION  AND  PRODUCE.  317 

friend.  As  I  had  not  much  faith  in  his  promise  of  good 
cheer,  I  was  agreeably  surprised  on  seeing  him  stop  at  a 
neat  and  spacious  house,  where  a  respectable  Armenian 
received  and  ushered  me  into  a  clean  and  comfortable 
apartment. 

This  being  a  fast-day,  no  meat  was  allowed  to  be  sold 
at  the  shops ;  but  these  rules  of  abstinence  not  always  ap- 
plying to  the  commandant,  who,  doubtless,  thinks  his  office 
entitled  to  a  dispensation,  my  host  very  kindly  procured 
from  him  some  mutton,  which,  seasoned  by  some  excel- 
lent red  champagne,  of  Kizliar  growth,  afforded  an  enter- 
tainment to  which  I  had  long  been  unaccustomed.  The 
town  of  Kizliar,  standing  on  the  banks  of  the  river  Terek, 
is  sixty  versts  from  the  Caspian  Sea.  The  population, 
including  those  of  the  dependent  villages,  may  be  com- 
puted at  twenty  thousand.  Of  these  the  Tartars  and  Ar- 
menians form  the  two  greatest  divisions ;  the  rest  of  the 
inhabitants  are  the  refuse  of  the  numerous  tribes  of  Mount 
Caucasus.  The  grapes  of  Kizliar  produce  several  differ- 
ent kinds  of  wine ;  indeed  the  vines  grown  on  the  banks 
of  the  Terek,  are  equal  in  quality  to  those  of  the  Don. 
Thejnhabitants  cultivate  also  cotton  and  tobacco,  but  im- 
port the  greater  portion  of  their  corn  from  Astrakhan. 

July  20. — As  Kizliar  is  the  last  Cossack  station  on  the 
road,  here  ended  my  journey  on  horseback  :  horses  and 
carriages  are  procured  hence  to  St.  Petersburg.  Being 
resolved  to  proceed *with  as  little  possible  delay,  I  asked 
the  commandant  for  an  order  for  post-horses,  but  he  re- 
fused to  let  me  go  without  being  attended  by  some  one 
whom  he  could  hold  responsible  for  my  safety.  As  it 
would  have  been  cruel  to  have  again  accepted  the  services 
of  my  Tartar,  who,  poor  fellow,  had  scarcely  awoke  from 
the  sleep  he  commenced  the  morning  before,  I  offered  a 
reward  to  any  one  who  would  become  my  travelling  com- 

40 


318  ANECDOTE. — MY  EQUIPAGE. 

panion  to  Astrakhan,  and  soon  succeeded  in  engaging  a 
Jew  boy  in  that  capacity. 

The  rude  customs  of  my  Tartar  friends  are  exemplified 
in  an  anecdote  respecting  this  new  servant,  which,  I  con- 
fess, it  gives  me  pleasure  to  relate,  though  I  make  a  con- 
siderable figure  in  it. 

He  is  a  native  of  a  small  remote  village  on  the  banks  of 
the  Terek,  whence  his  sister,  a  beautiful  girl  twelve 
years  old,  was  carried  off  by  some  Tartar  kidnappers, 
who  sold  her  to  a  Mahometan  merchant  resident  here* 
The  poor  Jew,  after  an  unsuccessful  application  to  the 
commandant  for  her  release,  flew  to  the  merchant,  who 
agreed  not  to  make  her  his  wife  for  two  years,  and  in  the 
interval  to  return  her  for  a  specified  sum.  The  time  had 
nearly  elapsed  when  I  saw  him.  The  money  I  gave  was 
sufficient  for  his  sister's  release;  and  I  feel  somewhat 
proud  of  having  relieved  this  fair  damsel. 

At  four  o'clock  in  the  afternoon,  my  new  equipage  came 
to  the  door,  driven  by  a  Kalmuck  Tartar.  The  vehicle 
was  an  open  four-wheeled  carriage,  without  springs,  called 
an  Arba.  It  was  fi\^  feet  fiso.  inches  long,  three  feet 
broad,  and  perhaps  three  deep,  resembling  a  beef-barrel 
sawed  in  half.  To  this  wretched  conveyance  were  at- 
tached three  half-starved  ponies  abreast.  The  collars 
were  of  wood,  and  the  reins  and  traces  of  rope.  Over 
the  collar  of  the  centre  horse  were  suspended  three  bells. 
Not  a  moment  was  lost  in  packing  the  baggage.  A  little 
straw  was  placed  at  the  bottom,  the  mattress  was  spread 
on  it,  and  the  clothes-bags  served  as  pillows.  We  were 
no  sooner  seated  than  off  we  went,  full  gallop,  to  the  jin- 
gling of  the  bells ;  our  party  consisting  of  the  master,  a 
Christian,  the  valet,  a  Jew,  and  the  coachman,  a  worship- 
per of  the  Grand  Lama. 

Quitting  the  suburbs  of  Kizliar,  you  immediately  enter 
on  the  great  desert  of  Astrakhan.    The  road  hence  to 


COSSACK  AND  KALMUCK  DRIVERS.  319 

the  city  is  tolerably  good,  with  the  exception  of  some  high 
sandy  ridges,  which  require  you  to  take  a  circuitous 
route. 

We  reached  the  first  post-house  at  dark  :  I  here  found 
the  utility  of  the  bells  which  had  so  annoyed  me  before. 
Their  sound  being  heard  at  a  considerable  distance  in 
the  stillness  of  the  desert,  warns  the  keeper  of  the  post- 
house  of  the  traveller's  approach,  and  enables  him  to  bring 
in  the  relay  horses  from  pasture.  The  man  employed  in 
this  office  was  mounted  on  a  horse  without  saddle  or  bri- 
dle: he  had  a  long  two- pronged  stick  in  his  hand,  and 
drove  before  him  about  thirty  horses,  which  obeyed  him 
as  readily  as  a  pack  of  hounds  do  the  voice  of  a  huntsman. 

With  the  exception  of  the  keepers  of  the  post-house, 
no  population  was  visible  till  within  the  vicinity  of  As- 
trakhan. In  the  winter,  twenty- four  thousand  families 
encamp  here,  and  retire  in  the  summer  season  to  the  dif- 
ferent branches  of  Mount  Caucasus. 

The  post-houses,  which  are  most  miserable  dwellings, 
are  kept  either  by  Cossacks  or  Kalmucks.  The  contrast 
between  the  representatives  of  these  two  nations  was  high- 
ly amusing.  At  one  stage  I  was  driven  by  a  shaggy,  un- 
shaved  Russian,  in  a  European  hat.  At  the  next,  my 
coachman  was  a  lank -haired,  beardless  Kalmuck,  in  yellow 
cap  and  scarlet  boots.  Each  driver  was  very  sparing  of 
his  whip.  If  the  horses  flagged,  he  commenced  a  song, 
which,  like  the  melody  of  Orpheus,  so  charmed  the  brutes, 
that  they  always  quickened  their  pace.  There  was  but 
little  harmony  in  the  performances  of  either  Cossack  or 
Kalmuck  ;  but  I  forgot  the  toil  of  the  journey  in  listening 
to  the  whine  and  hum  of  the  one,  and  the  gay  and  spright- 
ly air  of  the  other. 

July  22. — The  only  change  from  the  sand  of  the  desert, 
which  for  two  days  we  had  now  been  traversing,  was  here 
and  there  a  patch  of  rank  grass*    On  these  forlorn  ves~ 


320  ASTRAKHAN 

tiges  of  verdure  the  hungry  locusts  had  settled  in  swarms; 
not  to  be  disturbed  by  our  carriage-wheels,  which  rolled 
over  them  with  as  little  scruple  as  the  car  of  Juggernaut 
crushes  a  devotee. 

At  midnight  I  arrived  at  the  Quarantine- house,  where 
I  heard  I  should  be  detained  four  days.  I  found  here 
three  Kizliar  merchants,  who  had  passed  me  in  a  kibitka* 

July  23. — I  wrote  a  letter  to  the  Governor  of  Astra- 
khan in  the  morning,  which  brought  me  a  release  in  the 
afternoon ;  but  my  three  companions  had  to  remain  in 
confinement  during  the  whole  period. 

We  reached  Astrakhan,  a  distance  of  twelve  versts,  in 
an  hour's  drive.  We  crossed  a  branch  of  the  river  Wol- 
ga,  on  which  the  city  is  built.  After  a  slight  detention 
at  the  custom-house,  we  were  allowxd  to  proceed  in  any 
direction  we  chose.  My  Jew  servant,  who  had  not  long 
left  his  village  on  the  banks  of  the  Terek,  and  had  al- 
ways considered  Kizliar  as  the  greatest  of  cities,  was  so 
confounded  at  the  populous  appearance  of  Astrakhan, 
that  he  could  not  say  a  word,  and  left  me  to  find  my  way 
about  as  I  could.  The  Kizliar  merchants  had  spoken  of 
Khanee  Fe?*i?ig,  an  English  inn :  by  repeating  these  words, 
I  was  at  last  directed  to  a  spacious  house,  at  the  door  of 
which  was  playing  a  rosy-cheeked  boy,  whose  features 
were  so  English  that  I  spoke  to  him  in  our  own  languages 
He  told  me  he  was  the  son  of  the  Rev.  Mr.  Glen,  and 
that  this  was  the  Scotch  Missionary-house.  I  had  scarce- 
ly recovered  from  the  satisfaction  of  hearing  the  welcome 
accents  of  my  native  land,  when  his  mother,  a  handsome 
woman,  begged  I  would  come  up-stairs,  and  remain  with 
her  family  during  my  stay.  I  partook  of  a  slight  refresh- 
ment, and  soon  after  there  was  a  general  summons  to 
prayers.  The  congregation  consisted  of  twenty  English 
persons,  including  women  and  children.  Psalms  were 
first  chanted,     One  of  the  Missionaries  then  put  forth  a** 


CONVERTED  MAHOMETANS.  321 

eloquent  extempore  prayer  to  the  Almighty,  into  which 
he  introduced  a  thanksgiving  for  my  safe  arrival  and  escape 
from  so  many  dangers. 

At  no  period  of  my  life  do  I  remember  to  have  been 
impressed  with  so  strong  a  feeling  of  devotion  as  on  this 
evening.  Few  persons  of  the  same  general  habits  will 
understand  my  particular  feelings.  Few  have  ever  been 
placed  in  the  same  situation  under  similar  circumstances. 
Quitting  countries  once  the  most  rich  and  populous,  now 
the  most  desolate  and  lone,  fulfilling  in  their  calamities 
decrees  of  diyine  Providence ;  safe  from  the  dangers  of 
the  desert,  and  from  the  barbarian  tribes  with  whom  every 
crime  was  common,  I  found  myself  in  a  religious  sanctu- 
ary among  my  own  countrymen,  in  whose  countenances, 
whatever  were  the  trivial  errors  of  their  belief,  might  be 
traced  the  purity  of  their  lives,  and  that  enthusiasm  in 
the  cause  of  religion  which  has  caused  them  to  become 
voluntary  exiles:  whose  kindness  promised  me  every 
comfort,  and  whose  voices  were  gratefully  raised  to  Hea- 
ven in  my  behalf. 

July  24.— After  breakfast  I  was  introduced  to  Alexan- 
der Cassim  Beg,  a  Persian  of  rank,  who  had  been  con- 
verted by  these  missionaries  from  the  Mahometan  to  the 
Christian  faith.  He  is  a  fine,  intelligent  young  man,  and 
speaks  English  with  great  fluency  :  he  is  nearly  the  only 
Mussulman  who  has  had  the  courage  to  acknowledge  his 
conversion.  Several  others,  equally  convinced  of  their 
errors,  do  not  forsake  them,  from  a  fear  of  the  conse- 
quences. The  missionaries  are  met  by  almost  insurmount- 
able obstacles.  The  person  changing  his  religion,  ceases 
from  all  intercourse  with  his  countrymen  :  he  must  choose 
his  companions  from  the  natives  of  a  foreign  land,  with 
whose  habits  and  language  he  is  unacquainted :  if  a  me- 
chanic, no  one  gives  him  employment;  if  a  merchant,  the 
only  excuse  for  dealing  with  the  apostate  is  an  intent  to 
defraud  him, 


oXti  SCOTCH  MISSIONARIES, 

The  Scotca  missionaries  at  Astrakhan  belong  to  a  colo* 
ny  in  Circassia,  or,  more  properly  speaking,  Carbardia, 
named  Karass.  The  affairs  of  the  colony  are  managed 
by  their  own  laws,  except  in  criminal  cases.  They  have 
a  free  exercise  of  their  own  religion,  and  have  liberty 
to  receive  into  their  communion  converts  from  amongst 
either  Mahometans  or  heathens.  They  are  exempt  from 
military  service,  and  from  having  soldiers  quartered 
on  them.  They  pay  no  taxes,  except  about  five  co- 
pecks for  each  acre  of  arable  land;  this  is  not  paid 
by  the  individual,  but  by  the  community.  They  may 
travel  all  over  Russia  with  their  own  passports,  and  may 
leave  the  empire  when  they  choose.  They  have  power 
to  purchase  slaves  (not  being  Russians  or  Georgians,)  with 
the  understanding  that  they  are  free  at  the  end  of  seven 
years.  At  the  first  establishment  of  the  colony,  a  number 
of  Mahometans  were  purchased,  or,  as  they  call  it,  ran- 
somed. A  Circassian,  christened  John  Mortlock,  and  one 
or  two  others  whom  I  saw  at  Astrakhan,  are  of  this  de- 
scription ;  but  the  Society  not  approving  of  this  plan,  the 
privilege  has  not  been  acted  upon  for  many  years. 

Astrakhan  stands  at  the  mouth  of  the  river  Wolga,  on 
an  island  formed  by  two  of  its  branches.  The  island  is 
called  Zauchy  Baugor  (a  Hare's  Seat.)  The  city  is  en- 
closed within  a  fortified  wall,  but  the  water  may  be  said 
to  define  its  natural  boundary.  A  navigable  canal  tra- 
verses it  in  various  parts.  A  person  so  recently  arrived 
from  the  mud  palaces  of  Persia,  is  not  perhaps  well  quali- 
fied to  speak  of  the  state  of  this  place.  To  me  it  appeared 
clean  and  well  built;  its  streets  broad  and  commodious,  its 
houses  lofty  and  regular :  I  saw  it,  however,  under  con- 
siderable advantage.  In  consequence  of  the  expected 
arrival  of  the  Emperor  Alexander,  the  inhabitants  had 
white-washed  their  houses,  roofs  and  all,  by  order  of  the 
government.  The  cathedral,  a  magnificent  building, 
with  its  green  cupolas^  is  the  most  beautiful  object  here. 


CITY  OF  ASTRAKHAN.  "  .523 

and  may  be  seen  at  the  distance  of  sixty  versts  by  traders 
approaching  from  the  Caspian  Sea.  In  the  middle  of  the 
town  is  the  principal  square,  about  two  hundred  yards 
wide  N.  and  S.,  and  one  hundred  E.  and  W.  On  the 
east  are  the  houses  of  the  Governor  and  Vice-Governor. 
Opposite  is  the  house  occupied  by  the  missionaries.  On 
the  south  is  a  Gostenoi  Dvor,  or  range  of  shops,  which, 
being  uniform,  have  a  pleasing  and  grand  appearance. 
A  new  Gostenoi  Dvor  is  now  erecting  a  little  to  the  west 
of  the  square.  The  natives  of  every  country  enjoy  reli- 
gious toleration  here.  The  town  is  full  of  temples  of 
Hindoos  and  Kalmucks,  of  the  mosques  of  Mahometans, 
and  of  the  churches  of  different  Christian  sects.  Astrakhan 
is  considered  as  the  see  of  the  Armenian  Archbishop  in 
Russia :  I  believe  there  is  no  other  north  of  the  Caucasus. 

The  city  contains  a  population  of  sixty  thousand  Rus- 
sians, numerous  tribes  of  Tartars,  Armenians,  Indians, 
Kalmucks,  and  natives  of  Bokhara.  As  every  one  retains 
the  dress  of  his  country,  the  grand  square  at  the  time  of 
daily  market  has  a  very  picturesque  appearance.  It  was 
curious  to  observe  so  great  a  variety  of  costume  and  fea- 
ture crowded  into  so  small  a  space.  I  was  delighted  again 
to  hear  the  fair  sex  enjoying  one  of  their  greatest  privi- 
leges, that  of  speech,  which  they  here  used  with  noisy 
volubility,  in  haggling  their  wares  with  the  natives  of 
nearly  every  Asiatic  country.  While  watching  the  va- 
rious groups,  I  saw  a  prisoner,  heavily  ironed  and  guard- 
ed by  a  file  of  men,  going  round  the  market  begging; 
numbers  gave  him  a  trifle.  It  was  amusing  to  observe 
the  ceremonious  behaviour  of  the  giver  and  receiver  on 
these  occasions.  Both  took  off  their  hats,  made  a  profu- 
sion of  low  bows,  and  then  embraced  each  other  with  a 
politeness  that  accorded  oddly  with  their  half-savage  ap- 
pearance. 

Charity  is  a  very  prevalent  virtue  amongst  the  Russians, 


324  THE  WOLGA. — SALT-TRADE. 

though  they  appear  to  care  little  whether  the  object  be 
worthy  or  not.  I  have  not  unfrequently  seen  a  Russian 
give  a  coin  of  five  farthings  value  to  a  professed  beggar, 
who  returned  him  two  farthings  in  exchange. 

The  eastern  shore  of  the  Wolga,  along  the  city  and 
suburbs,  is  lined  with  vessels  for  two  versts.  Of  these, 
some  belong  to  the  Caspian  trade,  but  the  greater  por- 
tion to  the  inland  navigation.  Foreign  trade  is  carried 
on  chiefly  by  Russians  and  Armenians,  but  for  the  most 
part  in  Russian  and  Astrakhan  vessels.  Few  towns  can 
boast  of  a  more  advantageous  situation  for  the  purposes 
of  commerce.  The  Wolga,  which  is  three  versts  broad 
opposite  Astrakhan,  is  navigable  hence  to  St.  Petersburg, 
the  passage  varying  from  fifty-six  to  about  seventy  days. 
Several  of  the  missionary  families  came  from  Leith  to  As- 
trakhan by  water. 

In  the  government  of  Astrakhan,  the  salt- trade  is  car- 
ried on  to  a  very  great  extent.  The  salt  taken  from  salt- 
water lakes,  is  piled  up  in  vast  quantities  on  the  banks,  and 
thence  transported  to  different  parts  of  the  country  by  car- 
riers, and,  when  practicable,  by  vessels.  Its  plenty  and 
its  cheapness  are  of  great  importance  to  the  fisheries. 

In  the  neighbourhood  of  the  city  are  extensive  vine- 
yards, the  site  of  which  is  generally  marked  by  windmills, 
erected  for  the  purpose  of  raising  water  for  irrigation, 
without  which  assistance  the  parched  earth  would  not 
bring  the  vintage  to  perfection.  The  grapes  here  are 
delicious.  There  are  besides,  a  great  variety  of  fruits ; 
the  melons  are  said  to  be  the  finest  in  the  world,  not  ex- 
cepting those  of  Ispahan. 

The  principal  promenade  in  Astrakhan  is  on  the  banks 
of  the  canal.  I  was  astonished  to  see  here  men  and  wo- 
men swimming  together,  without  the  slightest  regard  to 
decency,  at  a  time  when  all  the  principal  inhabitants  were 
taking  their  evening  walks.     This  indelicate  practice  is 


very  common  tiiroughout  Russia.  At  Nishney  Novogorod, 
I  saw  women  walk  from  one  bath  to  another,  in  a  complete 
state  of  nudity,  past  a  large  concourse  of  people. 

July  28. — On  the  28th,  Mr.  Glen  went  with  me  to  visit 
one  of  the  sturgeon-fisheries  of  Mr.  Ssaposhenikoff,  a  weal- 
thy merchant  of  Astrakhan,  who  with  the  greatest  civility 
sent  us  down  in  his  own  barge,  having  previously  given 
orders  that  the  fishermen  should  await  our  coming. 

The  distance  was  about  thirty  versts,  but  we  had  ten 
active  Kalmucks,  who  soon  rowed  us  down.  The  name 
of  this  fishery  is  Karmaziack.  The  dependent  village 
contains  a  population  of  six  hundred  persons.  One  hun- 
dred boats  are  employed.  Two  persons  are  in  each  boat; 
one,  generally  a  female,  rows,  and  the  other  hauls  in  the 
fish.  The  instruments  used,  are  a  mallet,  and  a  stick 
with  a  large  unbarbed  hook  at  the  end.  Every  fisherman 
has  a  certain  number  of  lines;  one  line  contains  fifty 
hooks ;  these  are  placed  at  regular  distances  from  each 
other ;  they  are  without  barbs,  sunk  about  a  foot  under 
water,  and  are  kept  in  motion  by  small  pieces  of  wood 
attached  to  them.  The  sturgeon  generally  swims  in  a 
large  shoal  near  the  surface.  Upon  being  caught  by  one 
hook,  he  generally  gets  entangled  with  one  or  two  more 
in  his  struggle  to  escape.  Immediately  on  our  arrival, 
the  boats  pushed  from  shore ;  each  fisherman  proceeded 
to  take  up  his  lines ;  on  coming  to  a  fish,  he  drew  it 
with  his  hooked  stick  to  the  side  of  the  boat,  hit  it  a  vi- 
olent blow  on  the  head  with  the  mallet,  and,  after  disen- 
gaging it  from  the  other  hooks,  hauled  it  into  the  boat. 
This  part  of  the  process  was  excellent  sport.  On  every 
side,  the  tremendous  splashing  of  the  water  announced  the 
capture  of  some  huge  inhabitant  of  the  deep. 

As  soon  as  we  had  seen  enough  of  this  part  of  the  busi- 
ness, we  went  into  a  large  wooden  house  on  the  banks  of 
the  river,  where  a  clerk  was  seated;  to  take  an  account 

41 


326  STURGEON  FISHERY. 

of  the  number  caught.  Seventy  copeeks  is  given  for 
each  fish.  There  were  caught  this  morning  four  be- 
loogas,  one  hundred  and  ten  sturgeons,  nine  shevreegas, 
and  several  sterlets,  a  small  kind  of  sturgeon,  which, 
though  the  most  delicious,  are  never  counted.  These 
last  are  distinguishable  from  the  sturgeon  by  a  mark  above 
the  mouth.  The  sterlet  is  amost  peculiar  to  the  Wolga, 
though  occasionally  a  few  are  caught  in  the  Don.  The 
belooga  is  a  large  fish ;  one  of  those  caught  to-day  weighed 
four  pood,  one  hundred  and  fourty-four  English  pounds. 
The  shevreega  is  like  a  pike,  having  a  very  long  head. 
There  was  also  a  large  black  fish,  called  a  som.  It  is 
very  voracious,  and  will  attack  a  man  in  the  water.  The 
head  is  not  sold,  as  nobody  but  the  Kalmucks  will  eat  it, 
and  they  will  eat  any  thing.  It  was  given  to  our  boat- 
men, who  went  off  in  high  glee  to  make  a  meal  of  it. 

In  this  house,  men  with  instruments  like  boat-hooks 
drew  the  fish  from  the  boats,  and  laid  them  in  a  row. 
The  heads  were  split  in  two;  the  roe,  or  caviar,  and  the 
isinglass  were  taken  out  and  separately  disposed;  the 
bodies  were  cut  in  half  and  washed  in  a  reservoir  of  wa- 
ter, whence  they  were  taken  into  a  large  warehouse,  be- 
tween the  walls  of  which  are  placed  a  quantity  of  ice;  a 
few  shovels  of  salt  were  thrown  over  them,  and  by  this 
short  process  they  became  ready  salted  for  exportation. 
The  isinglass  was  taken  into  a  room,  were  children  were 
employed  in  laying  it  out  either  on  flat  boards,  or  rolling 
it  up  exactly  in  the  same  mode  in  which  it  is  exposed  for 
sale.  The  former  mode  constitutes  what,  I  believe,  is 
called  the  book,  and  the  latter  the  sheet  isinglass.  In  the 
mean  time,  the  caviar  was  collected  in  pails,  and  placed 
on  a  frame  of  net-work  over  a  large  tub,  and,  by  being 
passed  to  and  fro,  the  flat  fibres  which  connect  it  toge- 
ther were  separated  from  it,  and  afterwards  converted 
into  oil.     This  done,  thirty-five  degrees  of  salt  and  water 


EXT  E RT  A  i  N  M  EX  T .  . .*£'? 

were  thrown  upon  it,  which,  after  being  worked  for 
twenty  minutes  with  paddels,  was  drained  off  by  a  sieve, 
and  the  caviar  was  put  into  mat  bags ;  these  were  squeezed 
well  between  two  boards,  and  there  the  process  ends.  In 
the  short  space  of  three  hours,  I  saw  the  fish  caught, 
killed,  and  salted,  the  isinglass  prepared  for  sale,  and  the 
salted  caviar  ready  packed  for  exportation. 

What  we  saw  was  the  morning  process.  The  hooks, 
on  being  separated  from  the  fish,  require  no  farther  pre- 
paration. The  fishermen  go  to  their  dinners,  and  in  the 
evening  make  a  second  visit  to  their  lines,  when  all  the 
operations  to  which  we  were  witnesses  are  repeated.  In 
the  winter,  a  particular  spot,  with  deep  holes,  is  left  for 
a  considerable  time  undisturbed :  when  the  ice  is  suffi- 
ciently strong,  the  fishermen  of  the  various  fisheries  as- 
semble, and,  breaking  holes  in  it,  throw  in  their  nets ; 
.after  two  days,  the  pit  or  hole  is  exhausted,  and  scarcely 
one  fish  escapes. 

Mr.  Ssaposhenikoff  hires  those  fisheries  of  Prince  Ko- 
rackchin,  at  an  annual  rent  of  four  hundred  and  fifty 
thousand  roubles.  Besides  this  fishery  of  Karmaziack,  he 
has  twenty-nine  others :  a  good  season  will  produce  three 
hundred  thousand  roubles  clear  profit. 

After  having  seen  this  interesting  exhibition,  we  went 
to  a  small  house  by  the  water-side,  where  a  sumptuous 
entertainment  had  been  prepared  for  us  by  the  polite  at- 
tentions of  Mr.  Ssaposhenikoff.  We  had  a  great  variety 
of  wines ;  but  that  which  deserves  particular  notice,  was 
a  bottle  of  London  porter,  which  had  arrived  at  this  re- 
mote and  inland  quarter  in  a  state  of  perfect  preser- 
vation. 

As  I  was  stepping  into  the  boat,  the  superintendent  of 
the  fisheries  presented  me  with  some  book-isinglass,  and 
a  bag  of  salted  caviar  from  the  fish  which  I  had  seen  alive 
four  hours  before. 


328        DEPARTURE  FROM  ASTRAKHAN 


CHAPTER  XXIV. 


Departure  from  Astrakhan — Mode  of  dispersing  Locusts— Colo- 
nyof  Sarepta — Modern  Hippophagi — German  Colonies — Rus- 
sian travelling — Saratoff — Penza—- Nishney  Novogorod— Effect 
of  a  Uniform— A  Cossack  Sentry — Rascolnicks — Horseman- 
ship— Theatre — Russian  dance. 

On  the  30th  of  July  I  quitted  the  hospitable  roof  of  Mr. 
Glen,  and  resumed  iny  journey,  for  the  purpose  of  being 
present  at  the  grand  annual  fair  which  is  held  at  Nishney 
Novogorod.  I  was  accompanied  from  Astrakhan  by  Mr0 
James  Mitchell,  a  young  man,  the  son  of  a  Missionary^ 
whose  father  paid  me  the  compliment  to  commit  him  to 
my  care.  Mr.  Mitchell,  who  is  a  native  of  the  colony  of 
Karass,  had  never  been  farther  north  than  Astrakhan.  He 
travelled  with  me  as  far  as  St.  Petersburgh,  and  proved 
of  the  greatest  service  to  me;  as,  besides  Oriental  lan- 
guages, he  was  well  acquainted  with  Russian  and  German  : 
so  we  managed  very  well  on  the  road,  being  able  between 
us  to  speak  eight  different  languages. 

We  were  escorted  to  the  opposite  bank  of  the  Wolga 
by  all  the  English  residents  of  the  city,  who  came  to  bid 
farewell  to  their  young  friend.  Our  carriage  hence  was 
a  kibitka,  which  had  been  given  us  by  the  Missionaries. 

For  the  first  time  during  my  long  journey,  I  was  this 
evening  caught  in  a  shower  of  rain.  We  traversed  the 
grand  steppe  or  desert  of  Astrakhan  for  two  days.  On  the 
evening  of  the  1st  of  August  we  arrived  at  a  Russian  vil- 


FLIGHT  OF  LOCUSTS. — SAREPTA.  ->i<f 

lage,  which  was  surrounded  by  a  considerable  tract  of  well 
cultivated  land.  While  changing  horses,  I  witnessed 
what  was  to  me  a  very  curious  sight :  a  vast  flight  of  lo- 
custs, extending  fifteen  miles,  suddenly  made  their  ap- 
pearance from  the  east,  and  came  in  a  huge  phalanx  to 
attack  the  crops.  In  an  instant  every  villager  was  on  the 
road  to  his  own  field.  Some  took  dogs,  others  were  on 
horseback,  and  others  ran  shouting  and  clapping  their 
hands  all  the  way,  the  inhabitants  finding  from  experience 
that  the  locusts  very  much  dislike  noise.  My  fellow-travel- 
ler told  me,  that  in  the  colony  of  Karass,  when  the  locusts 
come  in  sight,  not  only  all  the  inhabitants,  but  the  mili- 
tary, turn  out,  and  endeavour  to  drive  them  off  by  drums 
and  fifes,  and  a  perpetual  discharge  of  musketry.  The 
enemy  thus  repulsed  make  a  speedy  retreat,  and  commit 
their  depredations  on  the  lands  of  those  who  are  less  on 
the  alert  to  resist  them. 

August  3. — It  is  difficult  to  describe  the  pleasurable 
sensations  with  which  I  entered  the  beautiful  little  town 
of  Sarepta,  after  having  been  for  four  days  and  nights 
travelling  through  an  almost  barren  waste.  There  had 
been  no  previous  indication  to  point  out  the  haunts  of 
man,  when  Sarepta,  seated  in  the  bosom  of  a  rich  valley, 
suddenly  burst  on  the  view.  Our  carriage  passed  through 
small  but  regular  streets,  and  stopped  at  the  door  of  the 
inn,  a  neat  house,  in  a  pretty  square,  which,  together 
with  the  church  at  the  opposite  end,  brought  the  snug 
villages  of  England  to  my  mind.  We  were  here  received 
by  a  respectable-looking  old  German,  who  soon  laid  before 
us  a  dinner,  that  did  not  destroy  the  illusion  of  home  in 
which  I  had  indulged. 

The  greater  part  of  Sarepta  was  destroyed  by  fire  two 
years  ago  5  but  the  active  little  colony  is  fast  repairing 
the  devastation,  and  new  buildings  are  rearing  their  heads 
in  every  direction,     It  is  gratifying  to  know,  that  the 


330  MORAVIAN   ESTABLISHMENT. 

principal  funds  which  enabled  them  to  rebuild  the  town7 
are  derived  from  a  London  subscription. 

In  the  morning  we  were  waited  upon  by  a  deputation 
of  the  inhabitants,  begging  us  to  visit  their  shops.  Every 
member  of  this  infant  republic  being  anxious  to  exert  his 
interests  for  the  general  good,  our  landlord  was  particu- 
larly solicitous  in  seconding  this  request.  His  motive  for 
so  doing  is  gratitude  for  a  law  of  the  colony  in  his  favour., 
which  prevents  any  one  of  their  number  from  asking  a 
stranger  to  dinner,  as  such  invitation  would  be  preju- 
dicial to  his  interest  as  an  innkeeper  and  a  member  of  the 
commonwealth.  In  return  for  this  excellent  decree,  he 
puffs  off  the  goods  of  his  fellow-citizens  to  every  new 
comer,  which  obliges  them,  as  it  did  me,  to  purchase  some 
trifle  at  every  house.  As  for  myself,  I  returned  home 
laden  with  gingerbread  and  baby-linen,  and  tobacco.  I 
afterwards  went  to  visit  a  Moravian  establishment.  Op- 
posite the  inn  formerly  stood  a  house  containing  eighty 
bachelors,  and  near  it  one  containing  eighty  spinsters* 
The  house  of  the  former  has  been  burnt  down ;  that  of 
the  latter  has  escaped.  The  females  divide  their  own 
dwelling  with  the  men  till  theirs  is  rebuilt.  When  a  ba- 
chelor is  tired  of  a  life  of  celibacy,  he  goes  next  door, 
chooses  one  out  of  the  eighty  spinsters,  and  makes  her 
his  wife.  The  pair  become  members  of  the  general  com- 
munity, and  keep  house  for  themselves.  The  vacancies 
are  filled  up  by  the  children  of  those  who  had  once  been 
inmates  of  these  mansions  of  single  blessedness. 

I  was  highly  gratified  with  my  visit  to  this  human  hive. 
Every  thing  was  in  the  neatest  order ;  the  sisters,  as  they 
are  called,  with  their  little  caps  and  uniform  dress,  re- 
minded me  of  our  fair  Quakers.  The  female  children 
were  reading  and  writing ;  the  young  women  were  en- 
gaged in  domestic  employments.  The  old  maids,  for 
there  were  a  few,  were  occupied  in  knitting  and  needle- 


MINERAL  SPRING. — GERMAN  COLONISTS.  331 

work.  All  were  busy  at  the  occupation  best  adapted  to 
their  peculiar  habits  and  talents.  Nor  were  the  brothers 
idle ;  here  were  shoemakers,  tailors,  weavers,  printers, 
and  bookbinders.  I  was  shown  a  fine  collection  of  the 
serpents  and  other  reptiles  of  Southern  Russia.  I  saw 
also  a  large  collection  of  antiquities  found  in  the  neigbour- 
hood,  which  proves  the  former  existence  of  an  ancient 
city  on  this  spot. 

I  regret  that  the  anxiety  to  pursue  my  journey  pre- 
vented my  giving  the  necessary  time  to  these  relics ;  but 
I  was  obliged,  though  with  regret,  to  take  a  hasty  leave 
of  the  Sarepta  community. 

Before  we  bade  farewell  to  our  Moravian  friends,  we 
visited  their  burying-ground.  Even  this  partakes  of  re- 
publican simplicity.  It  is  a  square  enclosure.  The  tomb- 
stones are  exactly  alike,  being  three  feet  by  two.  On 
each  is  inscribed,  without  comment,  the  Christian  and 
surname  of  the  deceased,  and  the  day  on  which  he  died. 
These  humble  testimonials  of  the  dead  are  singularly  con- 
trasted with  the  aristocratic  marble  tombstone  of  a  Russian 
Princess  who  is  buried*here. 

We  left  Sarepta  at  three  in  the  afternoon.  Eight  miles 
west  of  the  town  is  a  mineral  spring:  near  it  are  a  suite 
of  baths.  The  inhabitants  of  Sarepta  bathe  here  once  a 
week :  in  the  month  of  May,  people  come  from  a  distance 
to  take  the  benefit  of  its  medicinal  effects. 

August  4. — We  travelled  all  night,  and  at  daylight 
reached  a  village,  where  we  changed  horses.  One  of  the 
poor  beasts  died  as  he  was  taken  off  from  the  carriage  : 
some  Kalmucks  immediately  carried  him  away  for  their 
breakfast.  Ptolemy  designates  a  tribe  of  Scythians  (Tar- 
tars) by  the  name  of  '  iw?p><p«y/,  or  Horse-eaters. 

August  5. — On  the  morning  of  the  5th,  we  fell  in  with 
some  German  colonies,  which  occupy  a  tract  of  land  ex- 
tending hence  to  the  north  of  Saratoff.     It  was  not  till 


J32  RUSSIAN  TRAVELLING. 

we  arrived  among  these  settlers  that  we  saw  any  thing 
like  regular  cultivation ;  corn  is  very  abundant  here:  each 
driver  seated  himself  on  a  bag  of  flour,  with  which  he  fed 
his  cattle  at  the  end  of  the  stage.  In  the  desert  we  had 
just  quitted,  wormwood  is  the  principal,  and  sometimes 
the  only  food  for  the  horse.  We  passed  through  several 
German  villages,  and  were  struck  with  the  appearance  of 
the  broad  hats  of  the  women.  Vast  quantities  of  buck- 
wheat are  grown  here :  the  lower  orders  make  it  up  into 
a  porridge,  of  which  they  are  very  fond. 

I  cannot  agree  with  those  who  speak  in  favour  of  Rus- 
sian travelling.  Its  only  merit  is  its  extreme  cheapness. 
Sometimes  our  road  was  formed  of  the  trunks  of  trees :  on 
these  occasions,  off  would  go  our  driver  at  full  gallop; 
and  as  we  passed  over  holes  made  by  the  fracture  of 
timber,  the  kibitka  would  spring  into  the  air,  and  return 
with  such  a  bound  that  I  often  expected  dislocation  of  a 
bone  must  follow.  It  is  true,  this  painful  ordeal  may  be 
alleviated  by  having  springs  to  the  carriage;  but  the  re- 
medy is  worse  than  the  disorder.  Few  springs  can  stand 
such  a  violent  shock  ;  and  if  they  are  once  broken,  there 
will  be  great  difficulty  in  having  them  repaired. 

The  traveller  is  recommended  to  be  careful  in  having 
old  instead  of  new  wheels  to  his  carriage.  Those  of  ours 
were  new ;  the  consequence  of  which  was,  in  a  short  time 
they  were  so  warped  by  the  sun,  that  one  or  two  spokes 
fell  out  every  day,  till  at  least  only  four  remained  in  one 
of  the  fellies.  By  great  good  luck  I  succeeded  in  pur- 
chasing another  set  of  wheels,  for  which  I  willingly  gave 
five  times  their  value. 

Another  grivance  on  a  Russian  journey  is  the  vexatious 
delay  the  traveller  undergoes  from  the  conduct  of  the 
smatreetels  or  superintendants  of  the  post-houses,  who 
will  refuse  horses  to  any  one  weak  enough  to  submit  to 
such  treatment.    With  Mr.  Mitchell  for  interpreter,  I 


CONDUCT  OF  A  SMATREETEL.  333 

occasionally  addressed  these  men  in  rather  strong  lan- 
guage. One  of  them,  from  whom  I  had  by  dint  of  abuse 
and  threats,  succeeded  in  obtaining  a  relay  of  cattle,  vent- 
ed his  spleen  on  ray  fellow-traveller;  saying,  that  he 
should  report  his  conduct  for  having  spoken  disrespect- 
fully to  one  of  his  rank.  My  young  friend,  who,  though 
not  a  soldier  himself,  had  been  bred  up  in  all  due  vene- 
ration for  military  precedence,  seemed  alarmed  at  the 
consequences  of  having  wounded  the  dignity  of  a  sma- 
treetel, who,  he  assured  me,  ranked  as  "an  officer  of  the 
fourteenth  class."  When  angry  words  failed,  I  used  to 
bribe  these  "officers*'  with  twopence,  an  affront  their 
dignity  generally  pocketed  with  a  bow.  I  know  but  of 
one  more  mode  for  ensuring  the  good  offices  of  the  sma- 
treetel,  which  I  shall  illustrate  in  an  anecdote  of  a  French 
nobleman : — This  personage,  an  attache  to  the  embassy, 
being  on  his  journey  from  St.  Petersburgh  to  Moscow, 
had  been,  as  usual,  delayed  on  the  road  for  want  of  horses, 
the  smatreetel  telling  him  that  there  were  none  in  the 
stable.  He  had  one  day  been  deploring  his  hard  fate  a 
full  hour,  when  a  Cossack  officer  with  despatches  arrived 
at  the  post-house.  To  dismount  from  his  arba,  to  unsling 
his  whip  from  his  own  shoulder,  to  lay  it  across  that  of  the 
smatreetel,  to  have  fresh  horses  attached  to  his  vehicle, 
and  to  be  again  on  his  journey,  was  but  the  work  of  a 
moment.  The  hint  was  not  thrown  away  on  the  French- 
man :  he  immediately  unlocked  his  portmanteau,  took  out 
his  Parisian  cane,  and  imitated  the  action  of  the  Cossack. 
The  eifect  was  equally  instantaneous.  The  little  cane, 
like  the  wand  of  Cinderella's  fairy  godmother,  was  no 
sooner  waved,  than  a  coach  and  horses  appeared,  and  car- 
ried off  the  French  magician,  who,  by  repeating  the  secret 
of  his  newly  acquired  art,  reached  Moscow  a  day  sooner 
than  he  had  any  reason  to  expect. 

Jlugust  7.-— At  SaratofF,  the  capital  of  the  district  so 

42 


331  MILITARY  PREPARATIONS. 

called,  we  found  the  bouses  had  all  been  lately  white- 
washed, and  the  streets  put  in  repair,  in  expectation  of 
the  Emperor  Alexander's  arrival.  As  we  proceeded,  we 
found  the  verst-posts  and  bridges  newly  painted,  and  the 
road  patched  up  and  sanded  for  the  same  occasion.  We 
were,  however,  not  allowed  to  profit  by  these  improve- 
ments. The  repairs  were  of  such  a  nature,  as  to  be  only 
just  sufficient  to  sustain  the  weight  of  the  imperial  reti- 
nue; so  we  poor  travellers  were  doomed,  by  a  ukase,  to 
jog  on  by  the  road  side,  to  have  ease  and  luxury  in  sight, 
but  to  have  them  denied  to  every  sense. 

August  8. — We  reached  Penza,  another  capital  town, 
in  the  afternoon  of  the  8th.  Every  body  was  in  the  bus- 
tle of  preparation ;  a  large  body  of  troops  were  assembled 
for  the  purpose  of  being  reviewed  by  the  Emperor.  The 
same  active  preparations  were  going  on  as  at  SaratofT,  and 
the  vamping  system  was  in  still  greater  force.  Bricklay- 
ers and  plasterers  were  fully  occupied.  Opposite  the  place 
where  we  changed  horses,  they  were  literally  pulling 
clown  an  old  house,  as  too  unseemly  an  object  for  auto- 
cratic eyes.  The  town  was  crowded  with  military.  Ge- 
nerals, attended  by  their  aides-de-camp  and  orderlies, 
were  seen  prancing  through  the  streets.  Large  smoking 
groups  of  wasp-waisted  huzzars  met  the  eye  at  every  turn. 
Every  thing  partook  of  "  the  pomp  and  circumstance  of 
glorious  war."  A  crowd  is  always  to  me  a  gratifying 
sight ;  it  was  doubly  so  on  arriving  from  a  thinly-popu- 
lated country.  The  review  was  expected  to  take  place 
very  shortly :  with  any  other  place  but  home  for  my  des- 
tination, I  would  gladly  have  staid  to  witness  the  Russian 
system  of  evolutions. 

August  9. — We  arrived  at  Nishney  Novogorod  on  the 
9th,  at  the  height  of  the  grand  annual  fair,  hired  lodgings, 
and  then  sallied  forth  into  the  crowd  in  search  of  amuse- 
ment.    But  mv  ideas  had  been  so  associated  with  the  bov- 


RUSSIAN  FAIR.  335 

ish  recollections  of  Gooseberry- fair,*  and  its  numerous 
wild-beasts,  booths,  swings,  and  merry-go-rounds,  that  I 
was  wofully  disappointed  in  witnessing  the  noiseless,  or- 
derly, and  stupid  scene  at  Nishney  Novogorod.  Here 
were  no  national  pastimes,  not  even  a  Montague  Russe. 
Though  merchants  had  assembled  from  every  quarter  of 
the  globe,  they  had  come  on  business,  not  pleasure.  The 
few  Russian  noblemen  present  had  estates  in  the  neigh- 
bourhood, and  had  come  to  collect  their  rents.  Indeed 
I  question  whether,  out  of*  this  vast  concourse,  I  was  not 
the  only  person  who  had  been  attracted  hither  solely  by 
motives  of  curiosity  and  amusement.  Still,  to  a  person 
who  has  always  lived  in  a  crowd,  this  motley  assemblage 
could  not  be  without  its  interest ;  and  before  I  left  Nish- 
ney Novogorod,  I  managed  to  extract  more  amusement 
than  I  had  expected. 

The  place  in  which  the  fair  is  held  is  encircled  by  a 
canal  of  an  oblong  form.  Within  this  space  are  several 
formal  lines  of  roofed  shops  or  warehouses,  in  which  arti- 
cles are  exposed  for  sale,  without  any  attention  to  the  at- 
tractive order  of  their  arrangement.  British  goods  seem- 
ed to  be  in  a  high  repute ;  and  often,  in  passing  along  a 

TOW  Of  shops,  did  I  hear  the  venders  of  oomc  flimsy  arti- 
cles puffing  them  off  as  being  "Anglicansky" — English. 
For  the  first  day  I  was  dressed  in  a  plain  blue  coat,  and 
wandered  through  the  fair  friendless  and  forlorn ;  Mr. 
Mitchell  being  unable  to  render  me  assistance  as  an  inter- 
preter, from  the  diffidence  he  naturally  felt  at  having  thus 
suddenly  fallen  in  with  so  great  a  concourse  of  people. 
Tired  of  this  neglect,  I  next  morning,  by  the  advice  of 
my  fellow-traveller,  tried  the  effect  of  a  military  dress. 

*  In  my  time,  Gooseberry  fair  was  held  every  Easter  and  Whit- 
suntide, in  the  Westminsters*  cricket-ground  of  Tothill-fields. 
The  field  is  now  enclosed,  and  the  subsequent  improvements  have 
destroyed  all  the  enjoyments  of  that  dirty,  yet  delightful  quarter. 


33b  EFFECT  OF  A  UNIFORM. 

Not  the  disguised  corsair  in  Sheridan's  a  Critic/'  when 
he  first  discovers  his  embroidered  waistcoat,  could  have 
produced  a  greater  change  on  his  beholders,  than  did  I 
on  mine  in  my  aide-de-camp's  uniform.  Those  who  had 
jostled  me  the  day  before,  now  vied  with  each  other  in 
paying  me  attention :  the  Director  of  the  fair  solicited  the 
honour  of  being  my  cicerone ;  and  I,  who  in  the  morning 
could  not  boast  of  an  acquaintance,  found  myself  in  the 
evening  possessed  of  fifty  friends. 

In  the  course  of  the  day,  I  paid  my  respects  to  General 
Groukoff,  the  Governor.  He  received  me  very  civilly, 
and  begged  I  would  make  his  house  my  home  during  my 
stay.  I  dined  with  him  this  afternoon  \  and  in  the  evening 
met  at  his  house  the  Prince  of  Georgia,  and  several  other 
Russian  noblemen. 

As  it  rained  hard  when  I  was  about  to  return  home,  I 
borrowed  an  old  hat  and  coat  from  one  of  my  fifty  friends, 
to  save  my  military  dress.  In  following  the  banks  of  the 
canal  to  arrive  at  the  bridge,  I  felt  myself  suddenly  ar- 
rested by  the  muscular  grasp  of  a  man,  whom  I  discover- 
ed to  be  a  huge  Cossack  on  sentry.  With  a  broad  grin 
on  his  savage  features,  he  grasped  his  horrible  whip,  and 
beckoning  a  comrade,  motioned  by  signs  too  plain  to  be 
misunderstood,  what  would  be  the  alternative  if  I  did  not 
give  him  money  for  something  to  drink.  With  all  a  West- 
minster's science  in  boxing,  it  would  have  been  in  vain  to 
have  contended  with  two  armed  men,  so  I  gave  him  a 
small  silver  coin  ;  but  as  this  did  not  satisfy  him,  he  had 
already  raised  his  arm  for  punishment,  when  I  opened  my 
coat  and  showed  my  military  boots  and  spurs,  and,  with 
all  the  Russian  I  was  master  of,  told  him  that  I  was  an 
English  officer  and  an  acquaintance  of  the  Governor's. 

It  was  evident  I  had  made  myself  perfectly  understood, 
for  he  quitted  his  hold  as  though  I  had  been  a  serpent^ 
relaxed  his  grin,  and  took  with  him  his  comrade?  who  had 


RASCOLNICKS,  OR  DISSENTERS.  337 

just  arrived  to  assist  him  in  his  depredation.  Upon  in- 
quiry, I  heard  that  such  a  line  of  conduct  was  very  com- 
mon with  these  ruffians,  who  not  unfrequently  rob  and 
murder  merchants  falling  within  their  grasp.  The  next 
morning  I  reported  the  circumstance  to  the  Governor,  and 
am  inclined  to  believe  the  Cossack  underwent  the  punish- 
ment he  had  designed  for  me. 

August  11. — As  I  was  looking  at  a  collection  of  Sibe- 
rian minerals,  which  were  enclosed  in  a  glass  case,  I  ob- 
served an  old  man  with  a  long  beard  similarly  engaged. 
On  his  entering  the  room,  I  was  struck  with  the  marked 
coldness  shown  him  by  every  one  present :  by  chance,  his 
elbow  broke  one  of  the  glasses :  the  company  seemed  de- 
lighted at  his  having  accidentally  furnished  them  with  a 
grievance :  they  simultaneously  left  the  room,  and  re- 
turned with  a  corporal  and  file  of  the  guard,  to  whom 
they  gave  him  in  charge.  On  inquiring,  in  a  tone  of  pity, 
the  reason  for  this  hard  usage,  I  was  answered  that  he 
was  a  "  Rascolnick,"  a  dissenter  from  the  Greek  church; 
and  therefore,  said  my  informer,  unworthy  of  your  sym- 
pathy. 

There  are  many  dissenters  under  the  general  term  of 
Rascolnick :  one  of  these  sects,  chiefly  in  the  south  of 
Russia,  become  eunuchs.  The  Emperor  Alexander  tried 
to  put  them  down,  but  without  success. 

I  accompanied  the  Director  this  afternoon  to  see  some 
feats  of  horsemanship.  The  performer,  who  was  a 
Frenchman,  danced  on  the  bare  back  of  a  horse  with 
considerable  skill ;  but,  as  I  could  see  this  sort  of  sight  at 
home,  I  turned  my  attention  to  one  much  more  interest- 
ing— the  spectators.  Assembled  round  the  equestrian 
ring  were  natives  of  nearly  every  country  of  Asia,  all 
dressed  in  their  national  garb,  and  exhibiting  features  as 
varied  as  their  dresses.  I  was  particularly  attracted  by 
the  wonder  expressed  by  some  Tartar  horse- catchers, 


338  THEATRE. RUSSIAN   DANCE. 

who,  great  equestrians  themselves,  knew  not  what  to 
make  of  this  kind  of  riding.  "Look!  look!"  said  the 
Director,  pointing  to  the  rider;  hut  I  was  too  busy  iu 
watching  the  variety  of  animated  nature  to  waste  a  mo- 
ment on  the  performances  of  art. 

From  the  Circus  we  went  to  the  Theatre.  The  per- 
formance was  Kotzebue's  play  of  "Pizarro,  or  The  Death 
of  Rolla,"  as  it  is  here  called.  The  acting  was  respecta- 
ble, and  the  play  differed  but  little  from  Sheridan's  trans- 
lation. Rolla  was  in  the  hands  of  a  young  man  whose 
violent  declamations  in  favour  of  liberty  induced  me  to 
ask  who  he  was.  I  was  informed  that  he  and  the  rest  of 
the  troop  were  "  the  slaves"  of  a  neighbouring  prince, 
who  had  let  them  out  at  so  much  a-head  to  a  strolling 
Impresario ! 

The  amusements  closed  with  the  national  Russian  dance. 
It  was  very  entertaining ;  and,  like  most  exhibitions  of 
this  nature,  described  the  usual  process  of  a  courtship; — a 
proper  degree  of  importunity  on  the  one  hand,  resistance 
and  ultimate  consent  on  the  other.  The  female  dancer 
here,  a  pretty  lively  coquette,  suddenly  attracted  by  my 
scarlet  coat,  transferred  her  attentions  from  her  partner 
on  the  stage  to  me  in  the  pit,  to  the  no  small  amusement 
of  the  spectators,  myself  not  excepted. 


ARRIVAL  AT  MOSCOW.  339 


CHAPTER  XXV. 


Arrival  at  Moscow — Messrs.  Hart  and  Lamb— Governor  Gene- 
ral— Military  Honours— Gallitsin  Hospital — Burning  of  Mos- 
cow— The  Kremlin — The  Diligence — State  Prisoner — Arrival 
in  England. 

August  12. — Mr.  Mitchell  and  I  left  Nishney  Novo- 
gorod  on  the  evening  of  the  12th,  and  travelled  night  and 
day  till  we  reached  Moscow,  a  distance  of  four  hundred 
and  forty- three  versts,  on  the  morning  of  the  15th. 

August  15. — It  is  hardly  possible  to  imagine  anything 
more  beautiful  than  the  first  appearance  of  this  city,  com- 
bining, as  it  does,  the  architecture  of  almost  every  age 
and  every  country:  the  gilded  dome  of  the  Mahometan 
era  in  Asia,  the  Gothic  walls  and  towers  of  the  rude  ages 
of  Europe,  and  the  Grecian  structures  of  a  more  cultivated 
period. 

I  had  not  been  long  settled  in  my  hotel,  when  I  heard 
that  two  English  travellers  had  just  arrived  from  Persia. 
I  immediately  sent  my  name  to  them,  and  soon  after  in 
walked  Messrs.  Hart  and  Lamb,  by  whom,  it  will  be  re- 
membered, I  had  sent  letters  for  my  family  from  Tabriz, 
in  the  expectation  that  they  would  have  arrived  in  Eng- 
land six  weeks  before  me.  We  were  all  mutually  gratified 
at  this  rencontre,  and  agreed  not  to  separate  again  until 
we  should  reach  home. 


340  GOVERNOR-GENERAL  OF  MOSCOW. 

August  17. — This  morning  we  paid  our  respects  to 
Prince  Demetrio  Gallitsin,  the  Governor-General  of  Mos- 
cow. Captain  Hart  wore  the  uniform  of  the  4th  Light 
Dragoons,  and  I  that  of  an  aide-de-camp.  As  both  our 
dresses  were  similar  to  those  worn  by  Russian  general  offi- 
cers, all  the  guards  of  the  city  turned  out,  and  received 
us  with  military  honours.  In  the  anti-room  of  the  Go- 
vernor-General, I  saw  the  Commander  of  the  forces,  in- 
formed him  of  our  having  received  such  unmerited  com- 
pliments, and  begged,  that  to  prevent  a  recurrence  of 
them,  he  would  be  good  enough  to  explain  to  the  guards 
our  actual  rank  in  the  army.  He  answered  with  much 
politeness,  that  no  attentions  were  too  great  for  English 
gentlemen,  who  were  pleased  to  honour  his  country  with 
a  visit ;  and  that  so  far  from  giving  directions  to  the  guards 
to  discontinue  the  compliment,  he  should  be  much  dis- 
pleased if  they  did  not  always  pay  those  distinctions  which 
he  considered  our  due. 

When  we  came  in,  there  were  several  officers  of  high 
rank  waiting  for  an  audience ;  but  the  moment  we  were 
announced,  the  Governor-General  desired  that  we  might 
be  admitted.  His  Excellency  is  a  highly  polished  and 
agreeable  man.  He  behaved  to  us  with  the  greatest  affa- 
bility, and  kept  us  in  conversation  for  a  considerable  time. 
He  asked  us  several  questions  relative  to  our  numerical 
force  in  India,  and  our.  expedition  against  the  Burmese, 
of  which  he  seemed  to  have  received  very  recent  accounts. 
As  there  was  no  idea  of  a  war  when  we  left  Bombay,  and 
as  we  had  no  means  of  gaining  intelligence  during  our 
journey,  we  treated  the  matter  very  lightly,  assuring  him 
that  Burmah  would  never  dare  to  make  a  stand  against 
us.  His  Excellency  looked  incredulous  at  this  observa- 
tion, evidently  attributing  to  deep  diplomacy,  what  was, 
in  fact,  mere  ignorance. 

We  returned  in  the  evening  to  dine  with  his  Excel- 


UALL1 TSIN  HOSPITAL.  341 

lency;  a  large  company  was  assembled  to  meet  his  Royal 
Highness  the  Duke  of  Wurtemberg.  Before  we  could 
make  our  bows  to  the  Governor-General,  we  had  to  force 
our  way  through  crowds  of  star-adorned  nobility,  to  many 
of  whom  we  were  presented. 

His  Excellency  behaved  to  us  with  the  most  marked 
attention.  At  dinner,  he  placed  me  opposite  him,  and 
desired  two  noblemen,  who  had  been  in  England,  to  sit 
on  each  side  of  me.  In  compliment  to  us,  his  Excellency 
spoke  nothing  but  English  during  the  repast,  and  when- 
ever he  was  not  occupied  in  attentions  to  his  royal  guest, 
he  addressed  himself  entirely  to  my  fellow-travellers  and 
myself. 

On  Sunday  we  attended  divine  service  at  the  Gallitsin 
Hospital,  a  charitable  institution,  founded  in  1802,  by 
Prince  Gallitsin.  The  Chapel  is  an  elegant  building, 
surmounted  by  a  dome.  The  service  was  very  impres- 
sively performed,  and  there  was  a  great  appearance  of 
devotion  in  the  congregation,  many  of  whom  frequently 
threw  themselves  on  their  faces  in  the  Oriental  manner. 
The  singing,  the  only  music  allowed  in  Greek  churches, 
was  the  most  melodious  I  ever  heard.  The  priest  chanted 
in  a  loud  sonorous  tone,  and  the  responses  were  made  by 
a  choir  of  concealed  singers,  whose  voices  were  so  delight- 
fully harmonized,  that  I  had  difficulty  in  persuading  my- 
self they  were  not  the  notes  of  an  organ.  Scott  mentions, 
in  one  of  his  novels,*  the  effect  on  the  senses  of  music, 
when  the  performers  are  concealed ;  and  I  was  struck  this 
morning  with  the  truth  of  the  observation. 

During  our  stay  at  Moscow,  we  heard  various  versions 
of  the  burning  of  Moscow  in  1812.  We  were  told  that 
Count  Rastopchin,  at  that  time  Governor-General  of  Mos- 
cow, had  published  three  separate  accounts:  one  for  the 

*  Bride  of  Lammermoor, 
43 


342  VISIT  THE  KREMLIN. 

Russians,  attributing  the  burning  to  the  French;  a  se- 
cond for  the  English,  avowing  the  burning  himself;  and 
a  third  for  the  French,  leaving  it  in  doubt  who  was  the 
incendiary.  He  was  in  disgrace  when  we  were  here, 
and  we  did  not  see  him.  My  old  friend  and  schoolfellow, 
Mr.  Carr  Glyn,  speaks  of  him  as  an  amiable,  agreeable, 
and  clever  person,  and  thinks  with  myself  that  his  cha- 
racter has  been  much  abused.  Rastopchin  burnt  his  own 
country-house  before  the  entry  of  the  French  into  Mos- 
cow. The  Russian  army  is  said  to  have  been  drunk  at 
the  time,  and  to  have  pillaged  the  city  to  a  great  extent. 
The  Muscovites  tell  you,  that  if  Napoleon,  after  the  bat- 
tle of  Smolensko,  had  taken  up  his  quarters  in  Poland, 
had  given  the  Poles  a  free  constitution,  and  had  freed  the 
peasants  in  Russia,  and  the  Tartars  in  the  Crimea,  success 
would  have  attended  him  the  following  year. 

On  our  arrival  here,  orders  had  been  issued  to  close 
the  Palace  of  the  Kremlin,  for  the  purpose  of  making 
some  repairs;  but  the  Governor-General,  hearing  us  ex- 
press a  wish  to  visit  it,  with  the  greatest  politeness  sent 
to  suspend  the  projected  operations  till  after  we  had  seen 
the  curiosities.  We  were  met  at  the  door  of  the  palace 
by  a  general  officer,  who  very  civilly  pointed  out  to  us 
every  thing  worthy  of  interest. 

The  jewel-chamber  contains  a  number  of  gold  and  sil- 
ver vases,  goblets,  and  other  vessels,  of  which  I  have 
neither  time  nor  inclination  to  make  particular  mention. 
Round  the  walls  are  the  thrones  of  different  monarchs, 
and  standing  on  separate  pedestals  are  numerous  crowns, 
including  those  of  Kazan,  Astrakhan,  Siberia,  Georgia, 
and  Poland,  the  sight  of  which  brought  to  mind  the  gra- 
dual increase  of  this  vast  empire.  We  were  shown  the 
large  boots  of  Peter  the  Great,  and  the  coronation  coat  of 
the  Emperor  Alexander.  This  last  is  of  a  green  colour, 
perfectly  plain,  and  the  cloth  of  as  coarse  a  texture  as  that 
worn  by  sergeants  of  our  army. 


THE  DILIGENCE. — STATE  PRISONER.    ^        343 

A  public  diligence  is  established  between  tb  .wo  capi- 
tals, and  leaves  Moscow  every  Tuesday,  Frid.  ,  and  Sa- 
turday morning  at  nine  o'clock.  It  stops  each  day  half 
an  hour  for  breakfast,  and  an  hour  for  dinner  or  supper. 
The  traveller  is  allowed  twenty  pounds'  weight  of  luggage, 
and  pays  twenty  copecks  for  every  pound  above  that 
weight.  The  inside  places  are  one  hundred  and  twenty 
roubles,  and  those  in  the  cabriolet  sixty.  In  winter  the 
charges  are  considerably  less. 

As  our  party  amounted  to  four;  we  engaged  a  diligence 
for  our  private  accommodation,  and  agreed  to  leave  Mos- 
cow on  the  Wednesday ;  but  an  ague,  an  old  Indian  ac- 
quaintance, having  paid  me  a  visit,  our  departure  was 
protracted.  By  the  rules  of  the  post,  if  travellers  are  un- 
able to  proceed  the  day  on  which  they  have  engaged  the 
diligence,  they  forfeit  their  places ;  but  as  another  in- 
stance of  the  Governor-General's  attention,  he  desired 
that  the  diligence  should  wait  our  convenience.  Luckily 
for  the  party,  I  was  sufficiently  well  to  commence  the 
journey  the  following  afternoon. 

A  man  with  a  tertian  ague  upon  him  is  notalikely  per- 
son to  appreciate  the  charms  of  any  journey,  still  less  of 
such  a  fatiguing  one  as  that  from  Moscow  to  Saint  Pe- 
tersburgh. 

One  morning,  as  we  were  changing  horses,  a  state  pri- 
soner, guarded  and  heavily  manacled,  drove  up  to  the  inn 
door.  He  looked  pale  and  dispirited  ;  no  one  appeared 
to  be  acquainted  with  the  nature  of  his  accusation.  He 
had  been  suddenly  taken  from  his  family  at  Vladimir,  had 
been  travelling  night  and  day,  and  was  not  to  be  allowed 
to  stop  till  he  arrived  at  St.  Petersburgh.  It  was  with  a 
shudder  I  heard  that  he  was,  in  all  probability,  likely  to 
perish  under  the  dreadful  lash  of  the  knout. 

From  Novogorod  to  St.  Petersburgh,  the  last  forty 
versts  of  the  journey,  we  travelled  over  a  macadamized 


344  SAIL  FOR  ENGLAND. 

road.  4  i:^  a  detention  of  three  weeks  at  the  Russian 
capital,  vrthsailed  for  England.  At  the  dawn  of  a  dull, 
misty,  but  .0  me  delightful  morning  of  November,  we 
made  the  Suffolk  coast ;  nearly  at  the  same  moment  we 
hailed  a  herring -smack,  which  landed  me  at  Lowestoft, 
thirty-five  miles  from  my  own  home,  and  I  had  the  grati- 
fication of  dining  with  my  family  the  same  evening. 


THE  END. 


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